Paris, May 8 (RHC)-- In France, former investment banker and political centrist Emmanuel Macron was elected president Sunday in a decisive victory against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. 

With the majority of votes counted, Macron won about 65 percent to Le Pen’s 35.  Even though Le Pen lost, it was a record performance for her party, the National Front, whose anti-immigrant policies once made it a pariah.  Le Pen had campaigned on an openly xenophobic and racist platform, calling for France to crack down on immigration and leave the European Union.  

Emmanuel Macron ran on a pro-trade, pro-EU and pro-NATO platform and will need to secure a majority in next month’s parliamentary election to implement his program.