World leaders react to Macron's win

Pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron stormed to victory in the French presidential election on Sunday, roundly defeating his far-right rival Marine Le Pen in a run-off vote.

The Interior Ministry revealed that Macron had beat Le Pen by around 60 percent to 34 - a gap wider than the 20 or so percentage points that pre-election surveys had pointed to.

It was a record performance for the National Front, a party whose anti-immigrant policies until recently made it a pariah in French politics, and underlined the scale of the divisions that Macron must now try to heal.

Here's what world leaders had to say about Macron's win:

United States

US President Donald Trump... Tweeted, of course:

Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also took to Twitter to congratulate the 39-year-old winner.

Britain

 A statement issued by Downing Street read as follows:

"The Prime Minister warmly congratulates President-elect Macron on his election success. France is one of our closest allies and we look forward to working with the new President on a wide range of shared priorities," said a Downing Street spokesman.

EU

"Happy that the French chose a European future," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker wrote on Twitter.

EU Council President Donald Tusk also offered his congratulations, saying the French had chosen "liberty, equality and fraternity" and "said no to the tyranny of fake news".

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said: "We have received a vote of confidence from France in the European Union."

Russia

In a congratulatory telegram released by the Kremlin, Russia's President Vladimir Putin urged Macon to bridge bridge deep rifts and work together to fight the "growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism".

"The citizens of France entrusted you to lead the country in a difficult period for Europe and for the entire world community. The growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism is accompanied by an escalation of local conflicts and the destabilisation of entire regions."

"In these condition it is especially important to overcome mutual distrust and join forces to ensure international stability and security," he said/ 

Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wanted to work together with Macron on a "progressive agenda" to "promote international security, increase collaboration in science and technology, and create good, middle-class jobs on both sides of the Atlantic".

Greece

Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras said Macron's victory was "an inspiration for France and for Europe", adding he was "sure we will work closely together."

Spain

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Tweeted:

"Congratulations to EmmanuelMacron, new president of #France. Let us work in France and Spain for a stable, prosperous and more integrated Europe."

Ireland

"I am delighted that a leader with a positive ambition for Europe has won this election," said Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.

"There's lots of work ahead for all of us in Europe, in a challenging environment, not least on Brexit."

Sweden

"This is a victory for the French people and for European cooperation. New opportunities will now open up for the proactive agenda needed to strengthen the EU, including more jobs and fair working conditions, a stronger climate policy and a functioning asylum system in which everyone takes responsibility," said Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

Brazil

"I congratulate @EmmanuelMacron on his victory in the French presidential election. Brazil and France will continue to work together for democracy, human rights, development, integration and peace," tweeted President Michel Temer.

Others

Defeated US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who like Macron had her campaign hacked, Tweeted:

In The Netherlands, Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders commiserated with Marine Le Pen, saying in a tweet:

In Austria, Heinz-Christian Strache, head of the far-right Freedom Party, said Le Pen deserves "respect... She is from now on the strongest opposition force against Macron."

Macron "strategically positioned himself a year and a half ago as pseudo-independent," Strache said on Facebook.

"The French people refused the politics of hate and voted to uphold our shared values of liberte, egalite, and fraternite," New York City mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted.