NICE // As he awaits the transfer of power that will formally install him as France’s new president, Emmanuel Macron has been left in no doubt that the hardest part of his task starts now.
Mr Macron, 39, a former banker and socialist minister-turned-centrist, won handsomely against the far-right’s Marine Le Pen. The final count from the interior ministry put his total at 66.1 per cent of the vote against Ms Le Pen’s 33.9 per cent.
Amid the euphoria of an exceptional triumph that was once considered impossible, Mr Macron told cheering supporters at the Louvre museum in Paris on Sunday night that he would strive to remove any further reason “to vote for an extremist position”. He had heard and understood the “rage, anxiety and doubt” of the many French electors and would use his five years in office to combat the “forces of division that undermine France”.
But while the margin of his win amounts to a clear landslide, several features make it less than a ringing endorsement of Mr Macron and his movement, En Marche (Forward), which he founded just over a year ago.
An estimated 43 per cent of the 20.7 million French people who voted for him on Sunday did so to register their rejection of the anti-European Union, anti-immigration Ms Le Pen rather than their support of him and his policies.
Well over a third of those eligible to vote (36.9 per cent), especially the young and unemployed, abstained or submitted spoiled or blank papers.
Between the first round of the election on April 23 and Sunday’s run-off, Ms Le Pen temporarily stood down as leader of her Front National (FN) party in a barely disguised attempt to win the hearts of voters who were put off by its association with racism and xenophobia.
But with around 10.6 million second-round votes, she feels entitled to present herself as France’s main opposition force. She intends to rename the party and break finally with a past inextricably linked to her father Jean-Marie, from whom she is estranged, and mount a serious challenge for the presidency in 2022.
However, president-to-be Macron will face challenges from the left as well as the far right. Other presidents have learnt painful lessons about the power of the street, how trade unions can block reform, stage disruptive strikes and demonstrations and paralyse society if they feel their members’ interests are threatened.
As Laurent Berger, the secretary general of one of France’s largest trade union confederations, the CFDT, put it before Sunday’s run-off: “The only way to fight the Front National is to put Emmanuel Macron on your ballot paper. Then the CFDT will do its work for the rights of workers.”
A former socialist justice minister, Christiane Taubira, also warned Mr Macron to take heed of the anger of French youth.
“We will be there to remind him of it as often as necessary, as loudly as necessary, as resolutely as necessary, “ she said.
Mr Macron must also ensure he has the support of parliament to enable him to implement key parts of his manifesto. He said on Friday that he had already chosen his prime minister but would not reveal who it was until after taking office.
En Marche enters next month’s legislative elections without an established power base. Mr Macron has said the movement will field hundreds of candidates, including some drawn from other parties though they will have to abandon their previous allegiances.
A poll conducted after his victory was confirmed on Sunday suggested that 61 per cent of voters do not want his movement to have an absolute majority, another sign that the electorate is still not entirely convinced by him. If he does not get that majority in the National Assembly, the scene will be set for a governing coalition or “cohabitation” – meaning one party holding the presidency, and another dominating parliament. Either scenario could prove messy and hamper Mr Macron’s hopes of ruling effectively.
On Monday, at the invitation of the outgoing socialist president, Francois Hollande, Mr Macron attended the Paris commemorations of the Allies’ victory in Europe over Nazi Germany in the Second World War. The formal transfer of presidential powers will take place on Sunday, and the honeymoon period for Mr Macron may then be brief.
But for now at least, the president-elect can rest assured that his victory over Ms Le Pen – however qualified – was emphatic.
She would almost certainly have lost more heavily had Mr Macron not been tainted by association with president Hollande’s failures, or if the centre-right had fielded a candidate who was untouched by scandal. In the event, former prime minister Francois Fillon, who was defeated in the first round, may face criminal prosecution over allegations that he paid his British-born wife, Penelope, and two of their five children thousands of euros from public funds for little or no work.
Ms Le Pen also faces questioning in a series of inquiries covering the allegedly fictitious employment of staff in European parliamentary positions, the financing of past elections and her own tax affairs.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
How to donate
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
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