Leaders of Spain, Portugal, Germany urge French voters to choose Macron

Madrid, Apr 21 (EFE).- The leaders of the Spanish, Portuguese and German governments on Thursday penned a rare open letter urging French voters to re-elect Emmanuel Macron over his far-right opponent Marine Le Pen.

Pedro Sánchez, António Costa and Olaf Scholz said Sunday’s presidential election was “critical” to ensuring a strong European Union in the face of new challenges such as Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The three leaders, writing in Spain’s El Pais newspaper, accused Le Pen of siding with “those who attack our freedom and democracy.”

“Populists and the far-right in all our countries have been upholding Putin’s as an ideological and political role model, replicating his chauvinist ideas,” the letter read.

“We need France at our side. A France that has been, again and again, a beacon of democracy and fraternity in Europe and the world.”

Macron and Le Pen face off in a final runoff vote on Sunday. EFE

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