Enlarge image
Photo: Stefan Zeitz / IMAGO
A number of top German politicians reacted with relief to Emmanuel Macron's victory in the French presidential elections.
Chancellor
Olaf
Scholz
congratulated Macron on Twitter.
"Your voters also sent a strong commitment to Europe today," Scholz wrote in the direction of Macron.
»I am pleased that we are continuing our good cooperation!«
"Certainly not only a stone falls from my heart," tweeted Federal Minister of Agriculture
Cem
Özdemir
(Greens).
Green party leader Omid
Nouripour
wrote that the normalization of extremist discourse in the French election campaign was a warning.
It is important "to stand up for democracy and freedom with all our might and to defend our European values."
The FDP chairman and Federal Minister of Finance
Christian
Lindner
spoke of a "choice of direction".
"It was about fundamental questions of values," he wrote.
»The French have decided in favor of Macron.
This makes a united Europe the biggest winner of this election.«
CDU leader
Friedrich
Merz
said in the same way that Europe had also won today.
»Now a new attempt at Franco-German cooperation is possible and necessary!«
SPD-Generalsekretärin Saskia
essen schrieb: »Ich tanze!« Große Erleichterung und unsere herzlichsten Glückwünsche an Emmanuel Macron und unsere französischen Freundinnen und Freunde!«
The
AfD
, on the other hand, was happy about the around 42 percent for Marine Le Pen. "I congratulate our partner Marine Le Pen on her strong result," party leader Tino Chrupalla.
Macron only "gained a fictitious victory".
Hungary's Prime Minister »Victor Orbán and Marine Le Pen meet with enormous approval in their countries.
Together we will change the continent of Europe.«
Le Pen would have endangered the future of the EU
Europe watched the French presidential election tensely.
Macron's far-right competitor, Marine Le Pen, promised in the campaign that she would break away from decades of close cooperation with Germany.
The Eurosceptic nationalist was striving to decisively curb the influence of the European Union in France and could have put the brakes on a number of projects in Brussels out of self-interest.
Le Pen's proximity to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin also fueled concerns in the crisis between the West and Russia.
There were fears that the West's firm pro-Ukraine front could crumble under Le Pen.
more on the subject
Elections in France: The new President is the old Britta Sandberg and Leo Klimm report from Paris
Macron challenger: Loser Le Pen celebrates result as a "radiant victory"
In contrast, Macron is considered one of the most important Western mediators in the war.
Again and again he calls Putin.
In his victory speech he promised to stand up for a strong Europe.
As he approached the stage, he played the European anthem »Ode to Joy«.
slue/dpa