France just elected their new president. Emmanuel Macron, who won by garnering 66.06 percent of the vote with 99.99 percent of registered votes counted, defeated Marine Le Pen in one of the most controversial and exciting national elections this year since Donald Trump took office.
At 39 years old, Emmanuel Macron became the youngest president France ever had. Speaking to the public in Louvre, he vowed to eradicate the bitterness and division surrounding the country.
"I know the country is divided and this has led to people voting for extremes. I understand the anger, the anxiety, the doubt which many of you have expressed and it is my responsibility to hear that, he said in a statement on CNN. "A new page of our history has turned this evening, I want that page to be one of hope and refound trust, the renewal of our public life, will be at the base of what I do from the very first day of our Presidency."
It's the first time neither candidates from the major left and right parties fought in the run-off. Macron has no governing or political experience, isn't a part of any major political party, and is a former student of the Socialist president, François Hollande, according to The Guardian. But in the turnout, his lack of experience didn't deter his chances of winning the Presidential elections.
Macron's supporters all around France have voiced their support and cheers after learning he won the presidency. His victory is mostly based on his political will to initiate French labor law reforms, support France's inclusion in the EU and free market economics and fight France's intense unemployment problem.
Meanwhile, his major opponent Marine Le Pen campaigned for a somewhat anti-Islam protectionist reform, something that angered the Muslim population in France. According to her critics, Le Pen is also in favor of staging Frexit, France's version of Brexit.
Several world leaders have already congratulated France's newest president. Among those who congratulated his success early are German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
