What Africa needs to learn from France as Emmanuel Macron at 39 elected president
France making news
Emmanuel Macron was elected president of France on Sunday with a business-friendly vision of European integration, in a resounding defeat of Marine Le Pen, the far-right nationalist who threatened to pull out of the European Union.
The centrist's emphatic victory, which also smashed the dominance of France’s mainstream parties, will bring huge relief to European allies who feared another populist upheaval following Britain's vote to quit the EU and Donald Trump's election as US president.
Macron - the 39-year-old former investment banker who served for two years as economy minister but has never previously held elected office - will now become France's youngest leader since Napoleon with a promise to transcend outdated left-right divisions.
Three projections, issued within minutes of polling stations closing at 8pm (1800GMT), showed Macron beating Le Pen by about 65 percent to 35 - a gap wider than the 20 or so percentage points that pre-election surveys had pointed to.
"A new page in our long history has turned tonight," said Macron in a brief address to the press after the results were announced.
"I want it to be that of rediscovery of hope and trust."
He promised to "fight the divisions that undermine France" and to "rebuild the links between Europe and its citizens".
Al Jazeera's Natacha Butler, reporting from Macron headquarters outside the Louvre Museum, called his win "an extraordinary story".
r ago, and so many people at the time said he was too young, that he had no political experience … and here he is, one year on, France’s youngest president."
Al Jazeera's Anealla Safdar was at Macron's headquarters when he won. Members of the crowd, celebrating the win, called it a "sign of hope" and urged the president-elect to unify the divided nation.
Unarguably, the emergence of Emmanuel Macron at 39 as the president elect of France has brought a lot of hope to a nation that stands divided.
Following the courage and example of Emmanuel Macron, the youths of Africa should as a matter of urgency begin to push for a younger generation of politicians who must take responsibility for their continent as the future is now. The younger citizens of African countries should take the pains to reclaim their respective nations and give power to only young and deserving citizens only through a democratic process that meets international standard.
In today's very challenging and dynamic world, Age and Education should be a major condition for people who seek power.
Recall that the Nigerian leader President Buhari 75 was flown out of the country midnight yesterday for medical attention in London. The medical condition of President Buhari has left Nigerians with no option than fall back on religion for a quick recovery to avoid a repetition of the late Ya'adua cinerio few years back.
While France celebrates their young president, Nigerians have their fingers crossed only hoping that the worse should not happen.
Congratulations to the land and people of France and Good luck Nigeria.
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