Greek PM Mitsotakis and other party leaders comment on Macron’s victory

Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and other political party leaders congratulated and commented on France’s Emmanuel Macron winning a second presidential term at presidential elections, on Sunday.

Macron won at a second round of elections with 58.5% (100% of ballots counted), against  Marine LePen’s 41.5%.

In a tweet in French, Mitsotakis congratulated Macron and said it was “an important victory for France, Europe, and democracy!”

Macron’s victory and Le Pen’s defeat is a message for democracy in Europe, main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance said in a statement, but serves as a warning as well. “Nobody should be complacent, especially the leftist and progressive forces. The defeat of the extreme right – which gained over 40% – and of conservative policies that boost it is of the utmost priority and requires unified initiatives and solidarity of progressive forces,” Syriza noted.

PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) leader,  Nikos Androulakis, congratulated Macron and said “at this difficult time, Europe needs leaders who understand the need for more common policies among European peoples in sectors like defense, security, economy and the social state.” A war in Europe, rising social inequalities, and the energy crisis “constitute challenges that require responsible behavior and solidarity against bigotry, which undermines our common future,” he added.

“The resort to so-called democracy will be the alibi of the Macron government to continue its attack on the rights of the French people, adding more grist to the mill of reactionaries and the extreme right,” the Communist Party (KKE) said on the results. “This is why it is urgent for France, Greece, and every country, to boost the struggle against capitalistic barbarity and its governmental manager every time, to overturn antipopular policies and truly defeat reactionary political forces,” KKE added.

MeRA25 spokesman Michalis Kritharidis said the high support rate for Le Pen “signifies the need for even more intense struggle by the French people against the policies of the ‘extreme center’ that boost Le Pen.”