French President-elect Emmanuel Macron will start getting his house in order Monday after a landslide victory that handed him the reins to the world's sixth-largest economy.
The independent centrist beat his rival Marine Le Pen from the far-right National Front with a decisive 66% of the vote in Sunday's presidential election, according to the Interior Ministry. Macron will now be looking to use his popularity to win hundreds of seats for his fledgling party En Marche! In legislative elections, in little over a month from now. Macron ran as an independent, but he founded En Marche! Less than a year ago.
Transforming an outfit so young into a political force will be no easy task.
But one recent poll by Opinion Way-SLPV Analytics, for the Les Echos newspaper, showed that En Marche! Could he win the largest share — even a majority — of Parliament's 577 seats.
Macron will need a strong En Marche! Presence in Parliament to push his legislative agenda through as the country battles high unemployment, a stagnant economy and relentless security woes.
The government has also struggled to cope with immigration and integration, issues that drew throngs of supporters to Le Pen and her anti-migrant campaign. A supporter of Emmanuel Macron celebrates in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday.
Sunday's results mark a meteoric rise for Macron, who at 39 will become France's youngest-ever president. The former investment banker has little experience in governance, serving as economy minister for two years as his most senior role.
The President-elect will attend a party board meeting Monday afternoon. He will likely step down as party president before taking on the country's leadership, but it is not clear whether he will do so today.
An unexpected unity
Macron addressed thousands of supporters outside the Louvre in Paris late Sunday night, making a call for unity in the country that has seen deep divisions with the rise of the far right.
"I know the country is divided and this has led to people voting for extremes," Macron said in a speech at his team's headquarters.(CNN)