What mandate for Macron? France's challenges in an uncertain world
After all, democracy worked on the night. The win was convincing, the loser Marine Le Pen conceded without fuss, and many put aside soul-searching. In the end, French voters often held their noses to cast ballots in a system where the first round is for choosing and the run-off for eliminating. Still, the latter saw a record vote for the far-right and a near-record abstention rate.