France's Macron launches bid for second term as president

French President Emmanuel Macron appears on a screen as he delivers a speech on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Paris, France, March 2, 2022. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday he would run for a second term in April's election, seeking a mandate to steer the euro zone's second-largest economy through the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Macron announced his bid in a letter published by several regional newspapers.