The results of the French presidential
elections were unusual: the failure of the two main parties (Socialist
and Republican), who have been hogging the French scene for more than six
decades came as a shock. The elections envisaged for May 8, will see Marin Le
Pen, leader of the extreme right-wing party, and Emmanuel Macaron, leader of
the centre Party, head to head.
The traditional left-wing Socialist and
Republican parties have failed in recent years to address the problems facing the
French society, which is suffering from an accumulated economic crisis and high
unemployment, especially among young people. They also failed to instil a sense
of security in the French society which has suffered from painful blows in the
past years by terrorists.
In the first round, Marie Le Pen's
victory came as a shock to the ruling class; it represented an extreme
right-wing party. Therefore, immediately after the results, the political
leaders of the traditional parties collapsed and demanded their electoral rules
to vote for Macron to block Le Pen and not allow her to win the second round.
However, traditional parties have lost part of their popular bases to other
parties. For example, Marie Le Pen has been able to get support from the middle
class. The boundaries between political parties are no longer as they were in
the past. The global economic and political transformations have led to the
collapse of these borders.
Manuel Macaron may have chances to win
the second round of the French presidency, but his victory is not guaranteed
yet, despite the support he has received from the political class and from
several parties in the European Union. But she should not be underestimated
because she proved to be a sophisticated political politician. She resigned
from the party chairmanship not only for campaigning but also to distance
herself slightly from her extreme party and to get closer to the right and centre
of the vote.
The election results will decide who France's
next president is, but it also shows the magnitude of the change that has taken
place in France.
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