In a huge margin of victory, Emmanuel Macron won France’s run-off presidential election Sunday, halting the creep of right-wing nationalism in Western democracies — at least temporarily. Whether this election was a proxy battle between former president Barack Obama, who endorsed Macron, and President Trump, is up for debate, but Macron has received congratulations from world leaders who would seem to be ideologically opposed to the centrist president-elect.
President Trump tweeted his congratulations, even after tweeting implicit support for Marine Le Pen.
Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on his big win today as the next President of France. I look very much forward to working with him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2017
According to The Guardian, Russian president Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to congratulate Macron, wishing him “strong health” and more:
Putin told the new president that Russia is ready for constructive work on bilateral and global issues. He urged Macron to “overcome mutual distrust” and join forces.
He said:
“The citizens of France have entrusted you the leadership of the country at a difficult time for Europe and for the entire international community.”
Putin added that terrorism threatened all of Europe so it is “particularly important to overcome mutual distrust and unite efforts to ensure international stability and security.”
Putin’s warmth toward Macron is a welcome change. Prior to Sunday’s election, Macron’s campaign was hit with a coordinated email hack that leaked both legitimate and fraudulent data. The hack is believed to be the work of a group with ties to Russian military intelligence.
(via The Guardian)