French President Emmanuel Macron has won another term in office, defeating rival Marine Le Pen in a keenly contested election. 

Unlike in the previous election, when he won by 30 percentage points, his recent victory is much more narrow, indicating that his far-right rival, who has contested for the presidency multiple times, still has great appeal among the voting public. 

An unapologetic centrist, Macron had secured  58.2% of the votes cast, soundly defeating his opponent. 

The election was of particular interest to the international community, especially as Macron and Le Pen appear to have divergent views on the current crisis in Eastern Europe. 

During the election, Macron had thanked his compatriots who showed up to vote, describing them as the heartbeat of French democracy.

Marine Le Pen, daughter of another controversial politician, Jean Louis Marie Le Pen, has since accepted her loss to the incumbent. Addressing her supporters soon after it emerged that Macron had won the day with a small margin, she had noted that the massive vote she got was a victory in itself.

With another preside rial loss, it will be interesting to see if Marine Le Pen would vie for the same position in the next presidential election.