Emmanuel Macron joins French presidential election race
The pro-European former economy minister joins the 2017 presidential race as Marine Le Pen draws on Brexit and Trump’s success
Paris — Former economy minister Emmanuel Macron declared that he will seek the French presidency in next year’s election, ending months of speculation after he repeatedly pledged to offer an alternative to both the political establishment and to populists. Macron said at a trade school in the tough Paris suburb of Bobigny that he wanted to transform France’s outdated and partisan political system to unleash the country’s potential. "I’ve seen the vacuity of our political system from the inside, with its obsolete rules and its clannish rites," he said. "I am a candidate for president because I believe more than anything that we can succeed, that France can succeed." The 38-year-old former investment banker left President Francois Hollande’s government in August, saying he wanted more freedom to develop his ideas for repairing France’s ailing economy and increasingly bitter social divisions. He will offer voters one of the most pro-European platforms of any candidate, along with a cla...
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