French election 2022: PM Modi congratulates Macron on being re-elected as President

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (April 25, 2022) congratulated Emmanuel Macron on being re-elected as France's President and said that he 'looks forward to continuing working together'.

"Congratulations to my friend Emmanuel Macron on being re-elected as the President of France! I look forward to continue working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership," PM Modi tweeted.

French President Macron has been reelected after he defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen. The 44-year-old has become the third French president who has managed to secure a second term. His margin of victory, however, was tighter than when he first beat Le Pen in 2017.

In his victory speech, he acknowledged that many had only voted for him only to keep Le Pen out and he promised to address the sense of many French that their living standards are slipping.

"Many in this country voted for me not because they support my ideas but to keep out those of the far-right. I want to thank them and know I owe them a debt in the years to come," he said.

"No one in France will be left by the wayside," he said.

Le Pen, who at one stage of the campaign had trailed Macron by just a few points in opinion polls, quickly admitted defeat. But she vowed to keep up the fight with parliamentary elections in June.

"I will never abandon the French," she told her supporters.

Several Western leaders have congratulated Emmanuel Macron for winning the French presidential election.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Macron and called France "one of our closest and most important allies".

"Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on your re-election as President of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world," Johnson tweeted.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was "looking forward to continuing our work together on the issues that matter most to people in Canada and France -- from defending democracy, to fighting climate change, to creating good jobs and economic growth for the middle class".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were also among several other world leaders who congratulated Macron on winning the French presidential election.

(With agency inputs)