MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/. Emmanuel Macron’s reelection as French president was expected, yet his win was not as convincing as previous ones, Leonid Slutsky, who heads the State Duma’s international affairs committee said on Monday.
"There was no major sensation in the results of the French presidential runoff. The country’s incumbent leader Emmanuel Macron was reelected as expected. <…> In fact, Macron’s win was not as sweeping as his previous one. <…> The current regime received less support, losing voters who are tired of blindly following Washington," Slutsky said on his Telegram channel.
This time, Marine Le Pen, the National Rally party’s candidate, managed to "win the votes of not only Eurosceptics and the far-right alone," he noted. "Her opposition to the Russophobic hype foisted on the public once again reveals the true mood of European society," the Duma member pointed out.
"The unprecedented sanctions against Russia that Le Pen has always opposed, made the voters face a hike in food and energy prices. And Macron was told about it directly. Protests in French cities quickly followed the announcement of the election results, and it was not a surprise," Slutsky added.
According to the French Interior Ministry, Macron garnered 58.5% of votes, while Le Pen won 41.5%. In 2017, both of them were rivals in the runoff as well. Last time, Macron gained 66.1% of votes.