politics

Elaine Byrne: French vote tells us that politicians must pay heed to those who abstain

Emmanuel Macron’s speech following his victory over Marine Le Pen reflected an awareness of the level of democratic rejection, and there’s a lesson in that for our own politicians

President Emmanuel Macron: his brief, humble acceptance speech following his victory over Marine Le Pen was uncharacteristic of someone who has been dogged by accusations of arrogance and insensitivity. Picture: AFP via Getty

Emmanuel Macron struck a sober tone in his acceptance speech following his victory over Marine Le Pen, his far-right challenger, in the French presidential elections. He directly made reference to “those who abstained, could not decide”, and added: “I am no longer the candidate of one camp, but the president of everyone.”

This was not a triumphalist speech by the first incumbent to be re-elected to a French presidential second term since the Jacques Chirac ...