RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman sent a cable of congratulation to Emmanuel Macron on being re-elected for a second term as French president, the Saudi Press Agency reported on early Monday.

The king expressed his best wishes for success to the president and commended the distinguished relations between Saudi Arabia and France and their peoples.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a similar cable and wished success to the president and more progress to the French people.

Macron has been re-elected for a second term as French president on Sunday, with 58.2% of the vote, according to estimates from the Ipsos polling institute.

Turnout for the French presidential run-off stood at 63.2 percent at 5 p.m. on Sunday, down by more than two percentage points from the same time in the second round of the 2017 presidential race, the interior ministry said.

The centrist Macron asked voters to trust him for a second five-year term despite a presidency that was troubled by protests, the pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine. A Macron victory makes him the first French president in 20 years to win a second term.

The result Sunday in France, a nuclear-armed nation with one of the world’s biggest economies, could also have an impact on the war in Ukraine, as France has played a key role in diplomatic efforts and firmly backed sanctions against Russia for its invasion of its neighbor.