Macron: New French president will fight ‘forces of division’

The new French President has promised to unite a divided and fractured France after winning the election for the French presidency.

The pro-EU centrist centrist candidate, defeated the far right’s Marine Le Pen, winning 66.06% of the vote to her 33.94%.

At 39, he is France’s youngest ever president. His victory breaks the duopoly of France’s two main political parties that has been seen for decades.

In his victory speech, Mr Macron told audience he wanted to ensure right-wing voters “no longer have a reason to vote for an extremist position”.

He was elected with a pro-European Union mandate, on the other hand Ms Le Pen wanted to withdraw from the single currency and hold referendum on France’s membership of the EU.

The former economy minister ran as a “neither left nor right” independent candidate promising to reform the French political system, got 66% of the votes to Le Pen’s 34%.

The victory was welcomed by Macron’s supporters as breaking a wave of populism following Donald Trump’s victory in the US election and Brexit.