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WORLD NEWS Monday 25 april 2022
France's Macron is reelected but far-right rival raises game

By JOHN LEICESTER tory would be well above
Associated Press 10 points, although smaller
PARIS (AP) — French Presi- than when they first faced
dent Emmanuel Macron off in 2017.
comfortably won reelec- Macron is the first French
tion to a second term Sun- president in 20 years to
day, triggering waves of win reelection, since in-
relief among allies that the cumbent Jacques Chirac
nuclear-armed European trounced Le Pen's father in
Union nation won't abruptly 2002.
shift course in the midst of Le Pen called her results "a
the war in Ukraine from EU shining victory," saying that
and NATO efforts to pun- "in this defeat, I can't help
ish and contain Russia's ex- but feel a form of hope."
pansionist military attacks. Breaking through the
The second five-year term threshold of 40% of the vote
for the 44-year-old centrist is unprecedented for the
spared France and Europe French far-right. Le Pen was
from the seismic upheaval beaten 66% to 34% by Ma-
of having firebrand populist cron in 2017 and her father
Marine Le Pen at the helm, got less than 20% against
Macron's presidential run- French President Emmanuel Macron celebrates with supporters in Paris, France, Sunday, April 24, Chirac.
off challenger who quickly 2022. She and hard-left leader
conceded defeat but still Associated Press Jean-Luc Melenchon, one
appeared on course for of 10 candidates eliminat-
her best-ever electoral jection of the blue-white- deals with its worst conflict France and Europe ad- ed in the first round on April
showing. and-red tricolor French since World War II. Le Pen vance," tweeted European 10, both quickly pitched
Acknowledging that "nu- flag. He was cheered by also spoke out against EU Commission President Ursu- forward Sunday night to
merous" voters cast bal- several hundred supporters sanctions on Russian ener- la von der Leyen. France's legislative election
lots for him simply to keep who happily waved French gy supplies and faced scru- Italian Premier Mario Draghi in June, urging voters to
out the fiercely nationalist and EU flags. tiny during the campaign hailed Macron's victory as give them a parliamentary
far-right Le Pen, Macron "We have a lot to do and over her previous friendli- "splendid news for all of Eu- majority to hamstring Ma-
pledged to reunite the the war in Ukraine reminds ness with the Kremlin. rope" and a boost to the EU cron.
country that is "filled with so us that we are going A chorus of European lead- "being a protagonist in the Le Pen's score this time re-
many doubts, so many divi- through tragic times where ers hailed Macron's victory, greatest challenges of our warded her years-long ef-
sions" and work to assuage France must make its voice since France has played a times, starting with the war forts to make her far-right
the anger of French vot- heard," Macron said. leading role in international in Ukraine." politics more palatable to
ers that fed Le Pen's cam- During her campaign, efforts to punish Russia with With more than three- voters. Campaigning hard
paign. Le Pen pledged to dilute sanctions and is supplying quarters of votes counted, on cost-of-living issues,
"No one will be left by the French ties with the 27-na- weapons to Ukraine. Macron was leading 55% she made deep inroads
side of the road," Macron tion EU, NATO and Germa- "Democracy wins, Europe to 45% for Le Pen. Polling among blue-collar voters in
said in a victory speech ny, moves that would have wins," said Spanish Prime agencies projected that disaffected rural communi-
against the backdrop of shaken Europe's security ar- Minister Pedro Sánchez. once all votes are count- ties and in former industrial
the Eiffel Tower and a pro- chitecture as the continent "Together we will make ed, Macron's margin of vic- centers.q

Russian officer: Missile to carry several hypersonic weapons

MOSCOW (AP) — A new Peninsula. threaten our country, think
Russian intercontinental The test launch came amid twice," Putin said Wednes-
ballistic missile is capable of soaring tensions between day.
carrying several hypersonic Moscow and the West over The Sarmat is a heavy mis-
weapons, a senior Russian the Russian military action sile that has been under
military officer said Sunday. in Ukraine and underlines development for several
Col. Gen. Sergei Kara- the Kremlin's emphasis on years to replace the Soviet-
kayev, the commander of the country's nuclear forc- made Voyevoda, which
the Russian military's Stra- es. was code-named Satan
tegic Missile Forces, said Russian President Vladimir by the West and forms the
in televised remarks that Putin hailed the Sarmat core of Russia's nuclear de-
the new Sarmat ICBM is launch as a major achieve- terrent.
designed to carry several ment, claiming that the The military has said that the
Avangard hypersonic glide new missile has no foreign Avangard is capable of fly-
vehicles. equivalent and is capable ing 27 times faster than the In this handout photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency
Press Service on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, the Sarmat inter-
Russia's Defense Minis- of penetrating any pro- speed of sound and mak- continental ballistic missile is launched from Plesetsk in Russia's
try said the Sarmat was spective missile defense. ing sharp maneuvers on its northwest.
test-fired for the first time "This really unique weapon way to target to dodge the Associated Press
Wednesday from the Ple- will strengthen the com- enemy's missile shield.
setsk launch facility in north- bat potential of our armed In anticipation of the de- Avangard entered duty in mat, Vladimir Degtyar, said
ern Russia and its practice forces, reliably ensure Rus- ployment of the Sarmat, December 2019. in televised remarks that its
warheads have success- sia's security from external the new hypersonic vehicle The director and the range allows it to fly along
fully reached mock targets threats and make those, has been fitted to the exist- designer-in-chief of the any trajectory across north
on the Kura firing range on who in the heat of frantic ing Soviet-built ICBMs, and Makeyev missile-maker or south poles to hit any tar-
the far eastern Kamchatka aggressive rhetoric try to the first unit armed with the that developed the Sar- get around the world.q