Macron's second place in France elections is a disappointment, says Elysee

French President Emmanuel Macron's second place in the European elections behind Marine Le Pen's far-right party is a disappointment but will not prompt a change in the government's reform drive, an Elysee official said on Sunday. "There is of course some disappointment," an Elysee official said. "But the score is absolutely honourable compared to how incumbents did in previous European elections. There was no sanction."

"(The president's) objective is to intensify Act II of his presidency at the national level, so there is no change in policy to be expected," an official at Macron's office said. "Our goal is for the French to feel the change. We already have positive signals on unemployment and spending power."