The French presidential race was expected to be close with far right candidate Marine Le Pen closing in on President Emmanuel Macron as election day drew near.
Leaders in Europe sat all Sunday fingers crossed. A Le Pen presidency would have meant a Donald J Trump's like overhaul of existing French positions on the European Union, NATO, the war in Ukraine...
When the exit poll results came in at 11.30 pm IST, there was relief all around that Macron had won the race easily, getting 58.6% of the vote, a 7.4% drop from the 66% vote he won in 2017.
While electoral victory will be sweet, Macron has now to deal with the French parliamentary elections, the first round of which will be held on June 12. Both the Left and Right are expected to make gains in the 577 member national assembly, making governing difficult for the centrist Macron.
Moreover, France is more divided than ever, and President Macron will need to heal those divisions before they spiral out of control.
Please click on the images to view Macron after the Triumph.
IMAGE: The Brigitte Trogneux-Emmanuel Macron love story has transfixed France and the world. You can read all about it here.
24 years his senior, Madam Macron is her husband's primary adviser and this kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower celebrates their love and devotion for each other. Photograph: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images
IMAGE: Macron arrives to deliver his victory speech after being re-elected president at the Champs de Mars in Paris on Sunday evening. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters
IMAGE: Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron at the victory rally at the Champ de Mars. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters
IMAGE: The usually aloof Macron was compelled to hit the campaign trail and interact with voters in the final days of the campaign after the race with Marine Le Pen got uncomfortably close. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
IMAGE: Macron's second presidency will unquestionably be a more difficult one and will require both tact and different tactics. His disdain for what voters think so discernible in his first term will need to be discarded if France, divided so bitterly in the banlieues (slums), has to heal. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters
IMAGE: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made the first congratulatory call to Macron.
'It was the first call taken by the president, a mark of Franco-German friendship,' Macron's office informed Reuters. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters
IMAGE: Tiphaine Auziere, one of French First Lady Brigitte Macron's three children by her first husband (the Macrons have no children), gestures next to French politicians at the victory rally at the Champs de Mars. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters
IMAGE: The first exit poll indicates a Macron win, much to the relief of his supporters, members of the French public who despise Le Pen's politics, and, of course, European leaders who shudder at the thought of a Le Pen presidency.
This is Le Pen's third failed campaign for the presidency. She lost earlier to Francois Hollande in 2012 and Macron in 2017.Photograph: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Mahipal Soni/Rediff.com
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