The Party of European Socialists welcomes the election of Emmanuel Macron as the President of France, but expresses deep concern at the strong vote for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

PES president Sergei Stanishev said:

“President-elect Macron now faces severe challenges. He must tackle the conditions that led to so many French voters opting for a far-right populist candidate, and work to repair the damage inflicted by a deeply divisive election campaign.

“We also look forward to Macron delivering on the strongly pro-European agenda that he laid out during the campaign.

“And we fully support our member party, Parti Socialiste, in the forthcoming assembly elections. A strong showing for PS in June is vital for addressing these challenges both in France and more widely in Europe.”

For more information, please contact Toby Wardman toby.wardman@pes.eu, +32 491 86 97 48