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Macron: ‘Tonight, you won. France won’

Tens of thousands attend celebration party to welcome 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron as the republic’s new president.

France won/Please Do Not Use
Tens of thousands wait for Emmanuel Macron, the centrist candidate who beat his far-right rival Marine Le Pen with more than 65 percent. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
By Raymond Bobar
Published On 8 May 2017

Paris, France – As tens of thousands waited at the Place du Carrousel du Louvre for their new president, Emmanuel Macron, they danced to a playlist that appeared to have been prepared to send a message to the far right.

Minutes after the result was announced, Cris Crab, a young American artist, performed a remixed version of a Sting classic.

“I’m an alien, a legal alien, I’m an Englishman in Paris,” he sang, later playing an encore “because I’ve heard that Emmanuel wants this one again.”

Magic System, an Ivorian a musical group from Abidjan, and Richard Orlinski, French DJ and sculptor, also kept the crowd moving.

There were cheers and ululations when Orlinski spun the Arabic classic, Abdelkader Ya Boualem.

When he arrived, he was greeted by a sea of French flags and cries of “Macron, President! Macron, president!”

“Thank you for having fought with courage and benevolence over so many months,” Macron, 39, said.

“Tonight, you won. France won.”

Celebrations continued until midnight – for a short while longer in the streets nearby.

Raymond Bobar is a typographic designer and photographer. Follow Raymond on Twitter: @bobar

France won/Please Do Not Use
Ensemble la France, or France together, was one of Macron’s main campaign slogans. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
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France won/Please Do Not Use
Cris Crab, a young American singer, kicked off the party with a twist on Sting’s Englishman in New York, changing the lyrics to Englishman in Paris. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
France won/Please Do Not Use
There was a sense of relief among the crowd after months of bitter campaigning. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
France won/Please Do Not Use
As results came in, thousands flooded the Place du Carrousel du Louvre. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
France won/Please Do Not Use
As they waited for Macron to arrive, supporters danced and sang along to an eclectic playlist. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
France won/Please Do Not Use
In his televised victory speech projected on to a large screen at the party, Macron said: 'I know the division of our nation led to some extreme votes ... It is my first responsibility to hear these.'
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France won/Please Do Not Use
Philippe said: 'I am feeling, good, relieved, and optimistic.' [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
France won/Please Do Not Use
As the night fell, Syrian flags were raised in the sky. 'We'd like to be like the French. We asked for a new president, we got one million dead,' Al Saleh, a Syrian, told Al Jazeera. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
France won/Please Do Not Use
Macron, a centrist, is a former economy minister and has promised to reduce unemployment and unite the country. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
France won/Please Do Not Use
As Macron took to the stage, thousands waved French flags at the Place du Carrousel du Louvre. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]
France won/Please Do Not Use
In his victory speech in front of the Louvre museum, Macron pledged to serve France with 'humility and love'. [Raymond Bobar/Al Jazeera]