politics Elaine Byrne: French vote tells us that politicians must pay heed to those who abstainEmmanuel 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
Comment: Populism in France has not been defeated by Macron’s re-election The undeniable story of this campaign has been the continued rise of extreme politics
Macron says ‘no one will be left behind’ after defeating Le PenFrench president re-elected for second term in decisive victory
Lucinda Creighton: Things must change if the centre is to hold against the march of the extremes Macron should scrape back into office, but without a major change of course by him and his centrist followers, they will be squeezed out next time round
Susan O’Keeffe: Macron-Le Pen showdown approaches le crunchThe traditional left-right divide in France has dissolved, and both candidates are keen to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses as campaigning intensifies