One word sums up the general feeling, a very small word which spreads out in large on the front page of a German newspaper, Monday, April 25: “Phew!” title the Suddeutsche Zeitung. Three letters that concentrate and summarize the immense relief of European capitals after the re-election of Emmanuel Macron for a second presidential term. This does not prevent the daily from showing concern about the state of French society: certainly, this time, the far right did not win. But “Why have we allowed the hateful and revisionist speeches of recent months to pass? How is it that in France racism is no longer qualified as racism?” asks the newspaper. “Why do we allow Marine Le Pen to set herself up with impunity as protector of the working classes? A serious questioning is needed in the media, schools, universities, and even at the counter of cafes”.
Seen from “Ouf”, headlines the Süddeutsche Zeitung: “No jubilation in the rushes for the re-elected president, not even during the party organized by his supporters at the Eiffel Tower. In France, many people simply feel relieved that the extremes did not win. pic.twitter.com/FXYCJCiC1Z
—Thomas Wieder (@ThomasWieder) April 24, 2022
Same tone across the Channel. “Yes, France is saved and Europe with it (…), writing The Independent. But it is appalling, even frightening that so many people in this old democratic culture have voluntarily wanted to install a neo-fascist at the Élysée..
Emmanuel Macron’s European commitment reassures the 27. On the Champ-de-Mars, the president has not even taken the stage to the sound of the European anthem (The Ode to Joy of Beethoven) that a rain of messages floods the social networks. Like the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz – who had implicitly called to vote for him – the leaders of the Union salute in the re-election of Emmanuel Macron “a strong signal” in favor of Europe.
Congratulations, herzliche Glückwünsche, lieber Präsident @EmmanuelMacron. Deine Wählerinnen und Wähler haben heute auch ein starkes Bekenntnis zu Europa gesendet.
Ich freue mich, dass wir unsere gute Zusammenarbeit fortsetzen! pic.twitter.com/ZJQSc6OAz9— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) April 24, 2022
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who represents the Member States, sends him a “warm congratulations”. “In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union” he said in his tweet, rejoicing in power “count on France for five more years”. It is “magnificent news” says Italian Mario Draghi. For the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, “Macron did not seek to play a façade of Euroscepticism like so many other troubled politicians. He had the courage to present the Union as the solution to the problems linked to globalization or to the questions of identity.”
Except that the challenges of this new quinquennium are immense. It is also one of Weather: “The challenge” headlines the Swiss daily, above a photo of re-elected president with pensive look. “Emmanuel Macron, 44, has achieved an undeniable political performance in a country fractured by anger and shaken, like many Western democracies, by a strong wind of ‘dégagisme'”, writing Richard Werly in the daily.
In France, its priority task will be to “to mend a fractured France”judges the Spanish newspaper El País. Sophie Pedder, of the British weekly The Economistconfirms that the main threat of this second five-year term could come from the street and “all the French people who have lost faith in representative democracy – the left behind, those who are angry, feel forgotten, are disillusioned, (all those who) feel that Emmanuel Macron does not represent them “. Moreover “Jean-Luc Mélenchon is waiting for him at the turn” for the legislative ones, written the Stampa. “With all the radical left to which Emmanuel Macron has never spoken”. The Italian daily denounces the arrogance of the Head of State, who “always catches up” because he is that type of man “who doesn’t know what it means to live in the suburbs, who talks about equality, but doesn’t even know how much a metro ticket costs and travels first”.
On the European scene, Emmanuel Macron (who since 2017 and his speech from the Sorbonne prides himself on being one of the most convinced and active European leaders) will be able to push his advantage. The war in Ukraine has changed the face of the EU, which has emerged as a geopolitical power: the French president has been instrumental in this change in stature – while it has not generated much success elsewhere in politics foreign. It will be able to go further in “its” European vision, with increased sovereignty in terms of defense or control of borders.
On this question of the war in Ukraine, several newspapers like Last Spiegel underline that with the defeat of Marine Le Pen, it is “Putin who lost the presidential election”. Volodymyr Zelensky for his part published a tweet in French to salute the victory of a “true friend of Ukraine”.
Congratulation to @EmmanuelMacron, a true friend of Ukraine, for re-election! I wish him further success for the good of the people. I appreciate his support and I am convinced that we are moving forward together towards new common victories. Towards a strong and united Europe!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 24, 2022
While many European and American officials have already made the trip to Ukraine, the Head of State should not delay either in making the trip to kyiv, to bring a message of European support there.