French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced he would run for a second term in April's French presidential election, seeking a mandate to run the eurozone's second-largest economy amid the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic..

Macron announced his bid for the 2022 presidential election in a "

“Over the past five years, we have experienced many trials together.. Terrorism, pandemic, war in Europe: rarely has France faced such a heap of crises,” began a letter published in several newspapers..

“We didn’t succeed,” Macron continued.. “There are choices that, with the experience I have gained, I would certainly have made differently.. But the transformations undertaken during this mandate allowed many of us to live better, and France gained independence.. And the crises that we are going through, the last two years show that this is the way to go.”.

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The letter then stated his intention to run for a second term.. " I am a candidate to... meet the challenges of the century. I am a candidate to defend our values... I am a candidate to continue to prepare the future of our children and grandchildren,” reports France 24.

The French president, who was at the center of diplomacy on Ukraine, delayed his official announcement until the last minute, when authorities set a deadline of 1800 (1700 GMT) on Friday.

Although the intentions of the 44-year-old president have always aroused little suspicion, the announcement of his candidacy has been repeatedly delayed due to the crisis in Eastern Europe, due to which Macron has come to play a prominent role in diplomatic negotiations..

Nearly a month before the first round of the April 10 presidential election, Macron has yet to participate in any official campaign and canceled a rally planned in Marseille this weekend due to the crisis in Ukraine.