Obama throws support behind Emmanuel Macron for French president
Just three days before the final round of the French presidential election, centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron posted a video to his Twitter account featuring former U.S. President Barack Obama announcing his formal support for the candidate.
"I know that you face many challenges and I want all of my friends in france to know how much I am rooting for your success, because of how important this election is, I also want you to know that I am supporting Emmanuel Macron to lead you forward," said Obama in the video posted on Thursday.
L'espoir est en marche. Merci @BarackObama. pic.twitter.com/0azZHLZLse
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 4, 2017
Obama went on to say while he's not planning on getting involved in many other elections as he has no plans to run for office again, "but the French election is very important to the future of France and the values that we care so much about because the success of France matters to the entire world."
According to a recent Suffolk University poll of french voters, Obama still has a nearly 90 percent approval rating among respondents, that's compared to a dismal 82 percent of voters who view current President Donald Trump as unfavorable.
The poll also found that 46.6 percent plan to vote for 39-year-old Macron. While never having served in elected office before, Macron served as the French minister for the Economy and Finance under former President Francois Hollande.
Macron had previously shown signs of support from the 44th President of the United States, tweeting a video of the candidate taking a phone call with Obama as a sign of initial support.
Let’s keep defending our progressive values. Thank you for this discussion @BarackObama. pic.twitter.com/8rhNdHkLo8
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 20, 2017
Obama alluded to Macron's opponent, right-wing National Front candidate Marine Le Pen's advocation for a "French Brexit" from the European Union, saying that Macron instead has "stood up for liberal values and has put forward in important vision for the role france plays in Europe and around the world and he is committed to a better future for the french people."
He added, "[Macron] appeals to people's hopes and not their fears, and I enjoyed speaking to Emmanuel recently to hear about his independent movement and his vision for the future of France."
In a statement from Obama's office issued on Thursday, the former president "decided to express his support more publicly because this is an important moment for the French people and France's success impacts how the entire world confronts international challenges on the global stage."
Macron won 21.49 percent of the vote during the country's first round elections on April 23rd.
Obama ended the video in French, telling supporters "En Marche," or forward -- Macron's official party slogan as well as "long live France."