Politics

Buhari Congratulates Macron on Second Term in Office

By Web News 521

President Muhammadu Buhari , congratulates his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, for winning his second term in office and making history as the only sitting leader of the country to return in two decades.

Buhari’s congratulatory message was contained in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled, ‘President Buhari hails French President Emmanuel Macron’s victory’.

The statement read in part, “President Buhari affirms that, the iconic leadership style of the French President, who spent six months in Nigeria working as an intern at the French Embassy in 2002, continues to inspire a new generation of leaders and interest in politics and governance, starting from his country and beyond.

“The President notes the warmth and friendliness that has redefined Nigeria/France relations since President Macron assumed office in 2017, paying an official visit to Nigeria in 2018, and consistently creating lines for improved ties in economy, culture, and security, which has culminated in France-Nigeria Business Council, African Cultures Season in 2020, and the France-Africa Summit.”

Punch/Taiwo Akinola

Foreign

French vote as Macron aims to beat far-right Le Pen

By Web News 523

France will head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to give centrist Emmanuel Macron five more years as president or replace him with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

After a divisive election campaign, Ms Le Pen faces an uphill battle with her 44-year-old opponent polling ahead.

In order to win they both need to attract voters who backed other candidates in the first round.

But these are two polarising figures in France and abstention is a key factor.

Mr Macron’s detractors call him arrogant and a president of the rich, while the far-right leader has been accused of having close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Macron rose to power on a whirlwind promise of change, but many complain they are yet to see it. His presidency has been buffeted by protests, the Covid pandemic and now the rising cost of living.

BBC/Taiwo Akinola

Foreign

President Macron Faces Far-Right Challenge as France Votes

By Web News 518

French voters are casting their ballots in the opening round of a presidential race that could become a cliffhanger.
Emmanuel Macron has a fight on his hands from far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, who has been galvanised by a slick election campaign.
Forty-nine million people are eligible to decide which two of 12 candidates should take part in the run-off vote.
But after four hours of voting, only a quarter of voters had turned out – the lowest for 20 years.
The campaign has been overshadowed first by the Covid-19 pandemic and then Russia’s invasion. The president has spent little time on the race, focusing instead on Europe’s reaction to the war in Ukraine.
However, one issue more than any other has predominated the election: the spiralling cost of living in energy bills and shopping baskets.
When he came to power with a new party in 2017, Emmanuel Macron swept away the old allegiances, and the two big parties are still nursing their wounds.
Socialist candidate Anne Hidalgo has struggled to be heard, while on the right Valérie Pécresse has failed to excite the Republicans.
Now, the main challenge to Mr Macron, 44, is coming from Ms Le Pen on the far right and Jean-Luc Mélenchon on the far left.
Some are even predicting the president could lose.
BBC

Foreign

Macron Meets Putin Over Threats to Ukraine

By Web News 3200

In a bid to avert a feared Russian invasion of Ukraine, French President, Emmanuel Macron will meet Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow on Monday afternoon.

The French leader said the meeting was aimed at dialoguing with Russia to reduce escalating tension.

Macron had said “it is essential to prevent a degradation of the situation” and that it is legitimate for Russia to raise security concerns.

“The geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of cohabitation with NATO and the EU,” Macron said on Sunday.

France has played a central role in attempting to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow in the past. Alongside Germany.

 It helped broker a 2015 peace deal for Eastern Ukraine to end hostilities between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists that erupted the previous year following Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

.Putin and his officials have urged France, Germany and other Western allies to encourage Ukraine to fulfill its obligations under the 2015 agreement, which envisaged a broad autonomy for the rebel-held east and a sweeping amnesty for the separatists.

The agreement stipulated that only after those conditions are met would Ukraine be able to restore control of its border with Russia in rebel regions.

But many in Ukraine see the Minsk deal as a betrayal of national interests and authorities have strongly warned the West against pressuring Kyiv to implement the agreement amid the current tensions.

 Mnt/ Jeffery Ahonmisin