, congratulations pouring in around the world for emmanuel macron following his victory in the french election. enthusiasticmore than others about the prospect of working together. results show a surge of french -- show a third of french voters chose the national front. another third spoil their votes or chose to stay home. thepeople have drowned in mediterranean sea following the latest disaster involving migrants trying to reach europe.

thousands have been rescued by the italian coast guard. ♪ starting first of all with the official results from the presidential election. emmanuel macron beat marine le pen with 66.1% of the vote against 32.9% for the far right leader. mac ron will be the youngest french president ever to serve. it will be sworn in on may 15. one third of french voters either abstained or spoil their ballots. the national front won a record result. victory was greeted

with enthusiasm in brussels and other european capitals. more muted reaction from washington and moscow. europe breathes a sigh of relief as a manual macron clinches a victory. among thekel was first to praise the campaign. campaign that stands for openness to the world nd the european economy." the european commission president john paul uecker also welcome to the victory but said he would have to tackle spending. >> the french spend too much money in the wrong places. the french spend between 53% and 57% of their gross domestic product on the budget. with a high debt level, this will not work overtime. outrter: theresa may, campaigning on monday in her own

election, said macron now had a strong mandate entering the brakes it negotiations. -- the brexit negotiations. >> a new french president elected with a strong mandate that he can take into the negotiations. the u.k. has to make sure that we've got an equally strong mandate and negotiating position. reporter: vladimir putin met with marine le pen during the campaign and issued perhaps the most direct reference to the challenges facing macron, saying he has been selected to lead france in a difficult period and that it was important to join forces. israeli prime minister regimen netanyahu also spoke of working together, but this time against what he called the mutual threat of radical islamic terrorism. donald trump said during the campaign that it was le pen who would be strongest on borders, but the u.s. president tweeted, "congratulations to emmanuel

macron." more on the european reaction right now. macron'srd there, victory really helps put some much-needed enthusiasm into the european project after the crisis caused by breck sits -- caused by brexit. have the champagne corks been popping? we could see all of the institutions very much jumping on that emmanuel macron-eu flag waving, selling his victory as a good news story for the european union and eu values. the minister for austerity said, france," and that his victory put an end to rumors that the eu might disintegrate because of brexit.

she says that macron has shown that it is possible to change europe. the belgian prime minister also tweeting today how excited he was about macron. he says it is very symbolic and could provide momentum. he said having a fresh face tuskd the table -- donald tweeted today that he was very excited about the wind of emmanuel macron and that the french people decided not to vote based on fake news, a little swipe their act russian interference in the campaign. europe, heats for was very excited to lure emmanuel macron and his en marche! movement into the european parliament.

john claude juncker congratulated macron last night. he said he wouldn't be showing any lenience towards france. they still have to institute some very unpopular labor reforms and put their deficits in line with eu rules and regulations. laura: how about brexit? how will the victory help strengthen the eu's hand in the negotiations with the u.k.? reporter: for starters, france will not be sitting at the sidelines when it comes to negotiations with the united kingdom. some are calling him a very much pro-european union politician in favor of a more united eu. that wouldn't be favorable for theresa may going into these talks. is also said that he wants to, with the 73 seats that would be lost in 2019, the british seats

in the european parliament, he --ts for european candidates european citizens to vote for their favorite candidates on a european level. and it means that u.k. border can currently coming to france and stop illegal migrants crossing the border. france, at the moment, is not getting much out of it. aeresa may may have to pay political or economic price for keeping that. all of this to be revealed at the negotiations on brexit which will start after the election in the united kingdom. laura: back here in france, no time to savor last night's victory. it was straight to work for emmanuel macron, making his first appearance since elected the eighth president of modern france. he joined francois hollande to mark the end of world war ii.

reporter: president and president-elect, side by side. this marks emmanuel macron's first public appearance with president francois hollande since macron stepped down from his post as economy minister in august. they greeted warmly as the two men attended ceremonies commemorating the end of world war ii. had theollande who former investment banker joined his administration, setting the path that would lead to sunday's victory over far right leader marine le pen. hollande only had kind words for his successor. >> i wish him all the best. he knows that if he needs any information or advice, he can always come to me. he will always be welcome in i will always be there for him. walked together to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier below the

arc de triomphe. they, the inauguration will be held. that's when macron will officially succeed francois hollande as the president of france. over: the election may be but the battle to leave the country is just beginning. to will find himself unable push through -- macron will find himself unable to push through reforms. , a legislative election, 500s -- next month, a lead -- a legislative election. reporter: election, theth's first challenge. the party will have to deliver 289 mp's in legislative elections next month if he's to hold any real sway over the

country. and it willis huge require us to build a real majority. to carry out changes what i expect from you in six weeks time because i will need you again and again. reporter: 50% must be civilians with no political experience. they must come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. at least half should be women. politicians must drop other allegiances. the balancing act between the antiestablishment line that he ran his campaign on and bring in experienced support. defectors include from the conservatives and socialists. because it's the first time that en marche! is running, it doesn't have access to public campaign funds. one poll taken before sunday's results found it could be close.

it is estimated that the next parliament could be dominated by en marche! and the conservative party. laura: joining me in the studio is a member of the en marche! movement, running for election in the legislative elections next month. thanks for being with us. won a resounding victory. however, one in three french voters chose the national front, another third chose to spoil their ballot or not vote at all. how will emmanuel macron reach out to those voters now? >> he is definitely aware of the fact that this election was unprecedented. it means that france is at a crossroads today between two world, between two branches of the population.

hand, a on the one population that is appealing for a new way of living in democracy , and another branch of the population which is afraid of the future, who is no risk by rished byho is nou fear. it is one of his priorities to make sure that he will be the one able to keep the country together. laura: for example, a lot of people are worried about his plan to continue to overhaul french labor laws. we saw people rallying today. people are very upset that they will lose their protections, lose their employment rights, and eventually be worse off. claire: that is just what i mentioned. there's a range of the population which is afraid and has fears. these fears are legitimate.

we are not just pushing them away. i would say it is not really fair to our movement to say that in ae completely engaging protest where people will lose their jobs. on the contrary, i think we are really offering an alternative, a completely different way of taking into account our economic goals and economic conditions. laura: in one of the television interviews he did shortly before he was elected, emmanuel macron describes francois hollande as held back. there is a risk that he could face the same fate. he doesn't have any members of parliament. you yourself are standing for the party next month. there is a risk that he will not be able to make reforms that he will be another president unable to reform the country. claire: we are perfectly aware of this risk.

one reason that he was elected is that he is appealing for a new way in our democracy. faces tosignated new be part of the parliament soon, hopefully. i am one of them myself. in this, he is answering of peopley the need to have new faces and to rule the country. that we are not answering what people are expecting. laura: one of the biggest campaign pledges was to move away from party politics, from the two-party system that has dominated france for decades. however, in practical terms, he's going to have to appoint people to serve at his government, get people with political experience. how will the balance that with the need to break away from the status quo?

claire: his main preoccupation today is to be able to appoint the right man at the right place. haveu mentioned, we will ministers, and he completely will be aiming at appointing people who are professionals, completely dedicated to their tasks. he will give them the roadmap so that they can fill out their obligations, and he will expect from them to get results. that's how he intends to rule the country. he's really a completely -- he's really completely occupied, busy to find the right man at the right place. let him take place -- for the moment, he needs to be invested in his mission as the new president for france and then we'll see. laura: thank you very much,

indeed. claire: you're most welcome. laura: the french trade unions remain staunchly opposed to a manual macron and his plans -- and his planscron to overhaul french labor laws. they were protesting today. reporter: less than 24 hours after his election, president-elect emmanuel macron is facing his first protest. local union branches organized the events, promising to put pressure on him from day one, reminding him that many voters don't agree with their economic program. >> if we don't organize, and counterattack now, we risk being wiped out as he's probably going to govern by executive order. he supported the use of article 49.3. he could obstruct our democracy.

about 2000 people joined the march. they are worried about labor reforms that matt krohn could fast-track -- that macron could fast-track through parliament. >> march for our future, not for their future, not for their interest as capitalists. reporter: issues such as working hours, currently decided by industry-wide negotiations. acron campaigned on pro-business platform. 's jobs at making france market more flexible. europe's --in easing europe's migrant crisis will be one of the big challenges facing the new president. today, 200 people drowned as another boat sank on the way to europe from libya.

they found a smuggler hiding among the refugees. reporter: exhausted, refugees are brought to shore after a dangerous journey. they're among 7500 people rescued in the mediterranean in the past five days. many others are feared dead. >> we're still trying to get more information. we will see if there are survivors of this incident. this tragedy brings the total number of people dead from the beginning of the year to more than 1150. libya's: separately, coast guard picked up survivors over the weekend. they said they had been on a boat packed with 150 people. babies, washedng up on the libyan beach. people fleeing war and poverty pay a high price and risk of their lives.

>> so heavy. and materials. reporter: migrant arrivals to italy by cr up nearly 30% this -- by sea are up 30% this year. syrians are among the increase in refugees. making35 migrants dangerous european crossings doesn't come out alive from the sea. the prime minister says overloading is the main source of shipwrecks. isra: the syrian government one step closer to recapturing all of the capital of damascus after taking a rebel district. -- after the evacuation of a rebel district. the blood leaving the neighborhood under a deal brokered by russia, iran, turkey -- many people are leaving the neighborhood after a deal

brokered. international forces are monitoring those zones. they will seek international backing for the plan at the un security council this week. the u.s. says they will welcome the proposal. banksy on brexit czar. .he artist -- on brexit dover, near the crossing into europe. the united kingdom is leaving the eu after the prime minister triggered article 50 in march. the say it is a -- it shows -- our top stories this hour. from brussels to berlin, to

ankara, congratulations have been pouring in from around the world for emmanuel macron. the u.s. president donald trump has agreed to meet with macron later this month. a surge of french voters chose the national front -- a third of french voters chose the national front while another third spoil their ballots or stayed home. thepeople feared drowned in mediterranean sea after the latest disaster involving migrants trying to reach europe from the middle east. thousands have been rescued by the italian coast guard. let's get some business news. one moody is here with more emmanuel macron's attempts to push through labor reforms. andried as economy minister succeeded to a certain extent. now, he says he's going to finish the job. does wantnuel macron

to continue with those efforts to loosen labor restrictions and make it easier for firms to hire and fire. he has other proposals to succeed where his predecessor has failed to boost the economy and reduce unemployment. willer he's able to do so be based on results in june's parliamentary election. he said he's willing to push reforms through by parliamentary decree if necessary. reporter: one of the first items of the new agenda will be reforming labor laws. he wants to make them more flexible. he says he will do this in his first few months in leadership in parliament if he has a majority and, if not, by presidential degrees -- by presidential decrees. the current 35 hour working week will remain but it will be easier to negotiate between businesses and employees. they will hammer out the first

budget, set to be introduced next spring. he wanted to include measures such as scrapping local housing tax for 80% of households as well as a reduction in cost for employers. plans to018, macron increase -- plans to introduce three major reforms. training programs for those out of work, and extension of unemployment benefits, and a systems.on of tax -- and a simplification of tax systems. some say he will benefit from an already improving economic outlook. >> the economy is doing better, through a cyclical uptick. by removing a fairly limited number of obstacles to the market, the product market, you can get quite a bit of extra acceleration. reporter: in the long term, the

presidential -- the president-elect hopes to reduce corporate tax. would says his measures help lower unemployment in france, which has hovered around 10% for over a decade. laura: european leaders have welcomed macron's election as a sign that the euro zone remain intact and stable. european commission president jean-claude juncker said they will have to get down to business, specifically getting in line with rules and cutting back on public spending. ncker: the french spend too much money and spend too much in the wrong places. they spend between 53% and 57% of their gross domestic product on the public budget. with a relatively high debt level, this will not work overtime. but those that think that one can simply do a way with the french way of being, living, and

feeling, that's impossible. laura: let's check in on the markets. investors around the world had been widely banking on macron's win. after an initial sigh of relief, we've seen markets drop off slightly. about 109. european markets are far more muted than they were after the first round of the french presidential elections. say investors were confident about the outcome and that most games have come over the past -- the most gains have come over the past two weeks. on wall street, the snp and nasdaq cap -- the s&p and nasdaq have reached record highs. two chinese chemical groups have planned to merge and create a chemical giant. that's according to "the financial times."

sinochem ared joining forces, looking at international expansion after a takeover of the swiss syngenta. a rejection of a third takeover varied from -- takeover bid from azko nobel. ppg said it was its last attempt for a friendly merger and it might seek shareholder of -- might seek shareholder approval for a hostile takeover. a buyer on the fashion house kate spade. they have struggled with slumping sales and jumped on the announcement. coach is looking to become a multi-brand giant and expand their global reach.

the comedian john oliver focused his show this sunday on plans to relax neck neutrality laws in the united states. from plans stop providers -- the pleas planned to be there -- planned to be fairly effective because the fcc crashed during his airtime. it was up and running, but slowly, by monday morning. people are interested in a dry neutrality, oret maybe it is the far reach of john oliver and a lot of comedians these days. laura: thank you very much. ♪

05/08/17 05/08/17 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from chicago and new york this is democracy now! but i will do all i canned or the next five years so that no one ever has a reason again to vote for extremes. amy: in a landslide victory in france, former investment banker emmanuel macron has been elected president over far-right wing candidate marine le pen. we will go to paris for the latest.