French President Emmanuel Macron resisted a surge in support for his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen in the first round of elections. But the vote laid bare more divisions than existed five years ago, writes pierrebri
Official campaign posters for Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen are seen in Mitry-Mory, outside Paris, France, March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit TessierLONDON, April 10 - France’s presidential election looks like a re-run of five years ago. But the first round on Sunday, which saw incumbent Emmanuel Macron fend off a late surge by far-right rival Marine Le Pen, revealed a more polarised country.
Early estimates gave Macron around 28% of the vote, 4 percentage points more than in 2017. But Le Pen also progressed, winning 24% support, compared with 21% back then. Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon received a little more than 20%, slightly more than five years ago. Such similar results for the same three candidates after five years that have seen a global pandemic, major economic disruptions and a war in Europe may seem like a testimony to the French appetite for cautious continuity. But in reality France has morphed into a country profoundly divided between a moderate centrism incarnated by the unpopular Macron and the combination of far-right and far-left populism defended by his two main election rivals.
A seismic shift in the way France is governed may be underway. Le Pen’s platform was light on her main theme of fighting immigration, and she has long given up on her idea of France leaving the European Union or at least the euro. Instead, she focused on economic hardships brought about by the pandemic and high inflation. But her programme is a dog’s breakfast of interventionist obsessions and economic nationalism that would take her gradually away from the European consensus.
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