On 24 April, thousands of French citizens in London congregated in South Kensington to vote for the next French President.
Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen went head-to-head once again in the second round, a repeat of the 2017 election.
In what could have been a much tighter race between Macron and Le Pen, the former managed to overcome his far right-wing opponent by 58.6% to 41.4%.
Macron’s victory means he is the first president to get a second term in 20 years, but for many within France and abroad, this election focused on choosing the lesser of two evils – a former banker who has cut taxes for the rich, or a far-right candidate who looks to divide the country.
While the rest of Europe breaths a sigh of relief, this is a telling sign that populism is becoming more and more popular in the Hexagon – Le Pen finished this year with 7.5% more votes than in 2017.
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