As soon as Emmanuel Macron’s projection of victory appeared on the screen, the militants who had gathered on the Champ de Mars, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, celebrated with many shouts and flags of France and the European Union.
On stage, Macron’s team made “One More Time” (again, in English), the biggest hit by French duo Daft Punk, also their victory theme.
“We were very apprehensive,” says Luiz de Oliveira, 56, vice president of an IT company, alongside his wife, Céline, 44, a French teacher.
“I’m from the generation that lived through the end of the dictatorship in Brazil. For us, the prospect of seeing a far-right party win because people don’t want to vote is sad.”
“We don’t want the extreme right in France and we’re going to overthrow Bolsonaro in Brazil,” says Céline.
“While anti-democratic movements thrived in Hungary, Poland, even in the US, France had Macron. And I think he managed to do a lot even in an unfavorable scenario,” says Luiz, who has lived in Paris for 20 years and now worries about the legislative elections scheduled for June, which could become the real thorn in Macron’s side.
“There is a large part of the population here that behaves like a father’s son, they always want more. I think this social crisis will remain for many years to come”, says Luiz.
“At the end of François Hollande’s five years [2012-2017], France was in very bad shape. And now, even with the Yellow Vests and the pandemic, Macron has managed to lead us well. Of course, our debt exploded, but it was to ensure people’s well-being during the pandemic. Now the result is there”, celebrates Céline, holding up posters in support of the re-elected president.
“The far right will never pass in France,” she says, betting on Macron’s partnership with German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz. “They will move the European Union forward.”
Families with young children and young people also filled the celebration waiting for Macron.
Born in Germany, Andréa Linné attended Campo de Marte with her entire family: her husband, Éric Baldassari, 51, and their children aged 17, 11 and 8. “We are a binational couple. The European Union has to get stronger, not less strong”, says the Parisian Éric.
“It’s important that our children see today’s celebration,” says Andrea, who says she worries about the next five years in a country where 40% of voters chose Marine Le Pen. “And that Macron implements his program of re-industrialization without losing sight of environmental concerns.”
Outside of the militancy, Manon, 14, who was curious to follow the work of journalists, circulated in the crowd without posters or flags. Her father, Jean-Paul, 52, accompanied her (“she’s wanted to be a journalist since she was little”) and didn’t quite celebrate. “I didn’t vote for Le Pen, otherwise I wouldn’t have come,” she says, in the manner of the French, who are generally averse to public declarations of vote.
“I think Macron will have a lot of work ahead of him. Five years ago, he was a hope, but today he has more responsibility, because he needs to rescue the republican spirit of France, evaluates Manon’s father. For her, who still cannot vote, the Le Pen’s ultra-right “wouldn’t be a good thing for France”.
“I thought the win would be tighter. It was a nice surprise,” says Françoise Dimopoulos, 62. For Akoi Koivogui, 50, “this win is a relief.” “I hope all goes well for the next five years.”
Lisa Boveda, 22, said she was “very happy and wanted to share the joy with other activists.” Meanwhile, draped in a French flag, 12-year-old Eloi was waiting for the president. “I came to see you! But I hope that the war ends in Ukraine and that everything goes well in France.”
