It was not just France that was holding its breath on Sunday. Politicians across the world waited anxiously to see who the country's next president would be.

Macron emerged the winner, with 58.54% of the vote. In his speech to supporters he forbade them to boo people who had voted for Le Pen. He would be a "president for all".  

"The President of the Republic in France has, by law, much more power than any other president in Europe," according to Delphine Dulong, a political science professor at the University of Paris.

Macron controls France's government, parliament and constitutional court; and is head of the armed forces. He appoints the prime minister and can dissolve the National Assembly. The far-left candidate in the elections, Jean-Luc Melenchon, described the system as a "presidential monarchy".

Macron's predecessor, Francois Hollande, promised to be a "normal" president; when Macron was first elected, in 2017, he went to the other extreme and said that he would be a "JupiterianIn Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of the gods." one.

His hopes have been boosted by Angela Merkel's retirement, opening the way for him to become the EU's most influential leader. "A lot of strong voices are gone," notes French journalist Sabine Syfuss-Arnaud:

"Boris Johnson, swept away by Brexit; Sebastian KurzChancellor of Austria from 2017 to 2019 and 2020 to 2021. He lost power when his coalition partners, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria, were exposed as corrupt. , by a corruption case... Viktor OrbanThe prime minister of Hungary. He has clashed with the EU over gay rights and the independence of the judiciary., by his authoritarian attitudes... Olaf ScholzThe new chancellor of Germany. is known neither for his charisma, nor for his ability to wax lyrical, which the French president loves doing and is very talented at."

His ascent comes as the EU is being hailed as the next great superpower. The US has lost much of its authority after failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. China is riven over its handling of Covid-19, and its economy will suffer as countries retreat from globalisation. Russia's prestige is in tatters thanks to the war in Ukraine.

The EU has become more unified. It is admired for its quality of life, technological advancement, high levels of education and respect for human rights and the rule of law.

The journalist Andrew Gimson describes Macron as "very quick and very clever, surrounded by people who like him went to France's top universities." He studied philosophy, writing a thesis on MachiavelliAn Italian diplomat whose book The Prince argues that rulers are justified in being ruthless if they create a stable state. and HegelA 19th-Century German philosopher., and later became an investment banker.

Yes: Germany is France's only rival as a leader of the EU, and Macron is far more charismatic than Olaf Scholz. Moderate, prosperous and progressive, Europe sets a standard for the rest of the world.  

No: France is as divided as the US, and Macron's party may not have a majority in the next parliament. The EU cannot control members such as Hungary, let alone dictate to the rest of the world.

Or... The head of a democracy will never be the world's most powerful leader - only an autocrat like Putin can be. True power means being able to do what you like, not being held back by a parliament.