French election results: Emmanuel Macron says France facing 'immense task' to rebuild European unity as he defeats Marine Le Pen
By Rory Mulholland Henry Samuel, Paris: James Rothwell Ashley Kirk and Barney Henderson

Emmanuel Macron was elected France’s youngest head of state since Napoleon last night after beating his far-Right rival Marine Le Pen in an 
emphatic result that will have far-reaching consequences for Brexit and Europe.

Projections gave 39-year-old Mr Macron almost two thirds of the vote, showing a clear path to the Élysée Palace for the pro-EU centrist who was a political unknown until three years ago and has never held elected office.

Addressing the nation, a sober Mr Macron immediately reached across the divide to Le Pen voters, saying he heard the "anger, anxiety and doubts" that many had expressed.

Emmanuel Macron vows unity after winning French presidential election
By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris

The pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron has vowed to unite a divided and fractured France after winning a decisive victory over the far-right Front National candidate Marine Le Pen in the country’s presidential election.

Macron, 39, a former economy minister who ran as a “neither left nor right” independent promising to shake up the French political system, took 66% to Le Pen’s 34%.

His victory was hailed by his supporters as holding back a tide of populism after the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s victory in the US election.

Addressing thousands of supporters in the grand courtyard of the Louvre, the vast Paris palace-turned-museum, Macron said he would defend France and Europe. He said Europe and the world are “watching us” and “waiting for us to defend the spirit of the Enlightenment, threatened in so many places”.

He promised to unite a divided and fractured France, saying: “I will do everything to make sure you never have reason again to vote for extremes.”

Speaking of his meteoric rise and victory that was not forecast even a year ago, he said: “Everyone said it was impossible. But they didn’t know France!”

Source :
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...on-presidency/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-marine-le-pen