Centrist politician Emanuel Macron has become France’s youngest leader by clinching victory over his far right rival Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s presidential run-off.
The 39-year-old former economy minister and the leader of a party he formed a year ago secured more than 65 percent of the votes. Le Pen’s defeat was a massive relief for those European leaders who were afraid of her nationalist and anti-European Union agenda.
France is one of the founding members of the bloc and a possible Frexit could have more dire consequences for the EU compared to the Brexit. Macron is Pro-EU and he has campaigned on free trade; that translates into better relations with Germany, another founding member of the bloc. Such relationship is said to be the driving force behind the EU’s integration.