France's future a mystery with Macron as new president-elect
At age 39, the centrist former banker Emmanuel Macron is now the new president-elect of France — the country's youngest president.
"From tonight and for the next five years, I will with humility and dedication and determination, to serve France on your behalf. Long live the Republic. Long live France," Macron said in his historic victory speech.
The campaign saw French voters sharply divided over their country's future but in the end, they handed the pro-European Macron a sizeable win.
Macron defeated his opponent, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, with about 66 per cent of the votes.
"A crushing blow for Marine Le Pen," says reporter Ben Barnier of the French broadcaster France Info.
"What it says I think is that a lot of people in France are not willing to leave the European Union."
Barnier says Macron is "a complete outsider" and looking forward it's hard to know what France can expect given how little is known about the new president-elect.
He explains when asked during the campaign if he's centre right or centre left, Macron answered, "I'm neither."
Barnier suggests Macron's win had a lot to do with strategic voting rather than support.
He tells Tremonti when reporting on the campaign trail many people said, "I'm voting for Macron but I'm really voting against Le Pen."
Barnier says to those voters, preserving core essential French values was at the heart of how they voted.
"Le Pen's party represents a threat to many, many people in France and even those who were angry were not angry enough to vote for her."
Listen to the full segment at the top of this web post.
This segment was produced by The Current's Lara O'Brien and Idella Sturino.