Based on preliminary vote counts, Putin ally Marine Le Pen has lost to Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential election runoff.
Macron is the first French president to be reelected in 20 years:
Macron becomes the first French president in 20 years to win reelection, 58%-41%. pic.twitter.com/zZpDXlql6D
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 24, 2022
A Le Pen victory would have been Putin’s best chance to splinter NATO and save his disastrous invasion of Ukraine. Le Pen is a Putin ally who has taken campaign loans from Russia. Le Pen has criticized the sanctions on Russia since the invasion of Ukraine and vowed to withdraw France from Europe if she would have won.
Macron’s victory means that the unified western alliance against the Russian invasion of Ukraine will remain strong. Putin’s best hope for salvaging his invasion was for Le Pen to win and have her do the west what Trump did during his presidency.
None of that is going to happen. The right-wing Putin ally has been defeated, as pro-democracy forces score another victory over a right-wing authoritarian loving extremist.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
