Economics
France and Europe Enter Last Chance Saloon After Macron Victory
- Reform challenge may be as tough as Thatcher’s in the 1980s
- Failure to revive economy could see Le Pen winning in 2022
Macron Elected New French President
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Emmanuel Macron’s election as president of France has won his country and the European Union a chance to turn back the populist tide sweeping the West. It may also be their last.
The former investment banker and economy minister successfully repackaged himself as an outsider who promised “a new kind of politics,’’ and his victory over Marine Le Pen by a projected 65 percent to 35 percent was more decisive than some pollsters had predicted. Still, that was significantly narrower than the last time a National Front candidate made it to the runoff for president, highlighting the scale of the task now facing Macron.