With Emmanuel Macron winning the second and final round of the French presidential election on Sunday night, his country and the rest of Europe will have been spared a "political earthquake", as was being described in the run-up to the vote. Had his challenger, Marine Le Pen, who won a substantial 41.5 per cent of the vote share, been elected to France's highest office, it is unclear how quickly the congratulations would have trickled in for the far-right candidate from around the globe.
On the other hand, the good wishes for Mr Macron, a centrist politician who won a comfortable 58.5 per cent of the vote, flowed immediately after the result was announced. The international community, from US President Joe Biden to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, all conveyed their messages of congratulations.
Mr Macron became only the second incumbent in France to win a second consecutive term in the past 20 years, and his victory speech at the foot of the Eiffel Tower was directed to all French men and women, even those who did not vote for him, including 28 per cent of the electorate who “voted blank” just to keep Ms Le Pen out of the Elysee Palace.
His outreach, at a time when France is deeply divided, is important.
Following the defeat of their respective candidates in the first round of this election, it is clear that the popularity and relevance of the Republicans and the Socialists, traditional parties that have helmed France for decades, have waned. Mr Macron's "La Republique en Marche", founded shortly before the previous presidential election, in 2017, remains among the few moderate parties that are still relevant. But even as the divisive factions on the far right have been kept at bay for now, the traction Ms Le Pen's National Rally party gained in this election – along with the reasons for the sizeable discontentment across the country – is something that the Macron administration will need to be mindful of. In the final round of the 2017 election, Mr Macron defeated Ms Le Pen by more than 30 percentage points. The margin was narrowed to about 17 points this time around. Since its inception, the party founded by Ms Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, has never come so close to winning the presidency as it did on Sunday. If the dissatisfaction of the electorate is not properly addressed, the next election might turn out very differently.
Mr Macron, 44, finds himself with a weaker mandate than he did five years ago. His first term was severely limited by the gilet jaunes protests of 2018 and 2019, in which clashes broke out in several cities over rising living costs and fuel taxes. Even as the President has tackled key issues such as unemployment, cost of living remains high – an issue Ms Le Pen persistently raised during her campaign. There is the added spectre of Islamophobia, animosity towards immigrants and the growing threat of the far right, increasingly taking up space in the mainstream. For now, Mr Macron has managed to counter the threat of populism. But beginning with the parliamentary election in June, of which Ms Le Pen spoke with great hope in her concession speech, the challenges awaiting the President are plenty. Mr Macron will once again need to prove that he is the right man for the job.
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
