French elections & mainstream parties

A combination picture shows portraits of Emmanuel Macron (L) and Marine Le Pen. (Photo by Reuters)

The two parties that have run France for nearly 60 years have lost power and the next president of France will either be far right nationalist or a 39-year-old politician who has never held public office. 

In a seismic shift in French politics, final results put Mr. Macron, an independent centrist, top on 23.75 per cent, with Ms Le Pen, the far-Right Front National leader, just behind on 21.53 per cent. Conservative François Fillon, dubbed the "Thatcherite" candidate, was eliminated on 19.91 per cent, with revolutionary Leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon coming fourth on 19.64 percent. Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front has only two MPs and Emmanuel Macron's En Marche! Party only emerged as a political movement in April 2016. 

The Le Pen team have fought for years to "detoxify" the FN brand; for years she was leading the opinion polls, her party won regional and European elections but she yet she still lost ground to Emmanuel Macron as the vote approached.

The result will not just have an impact on the EU's political development but will have serious ramifications for the UK's Brexit negotiations. Mr. Macron's victory effectively sets up a showdown between his pro-EU camp and the anti-EU Marine le Pen. Moreover, it will also be a big victory over Islamophobia and nationalism, which have been a cornerstone of Le Pen’s campaign.

 


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