By Mike O ‘Sullivan
Emanuel Macron has been elected President of France for a second consecutive term, with the ballot box giving him a higher percentage (58.5%) than the polls predict. The lesson is that the French can whine in the polls and shout during the election campaign, but they will not vote in the extreme, as the British did by choosing Brexit or the Americans by choosing Trump.
The French presidential election was interesting in many ways: but mainly about how the political landscape in the country is changing. France’s traditional parties – the Socialists and the Republicans – have collapsed, although Republicans can hope for a recovery in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The political spectrum is now as follows: forces of the left and the far left are rallying around Jean-Luc Melanson, along with many environmentalists and several former socialists. On the right, there is now a dispute for supremacy between Marin Le Pen and Eric Zemour, who has already proposed the formation of a far-right coalition. In the enlarged center, Macron is dominant, backed by many former members of the Republican Party.
The weakening of the traditional parties of the left and right and the strengthening of far-left and far-right forces is due in part to Macron’s political revolution in 2017 and his ability to monopolize the center, as well as the fact that public debate in France has shifted from the economy (with government spending to 55% of GDP fiscal space is quite limited) to national identity.
The debate over French identity is moving in two directions: the aversion to immigrants and the aversion to globalization and its implications. The political task of Emanuel Macron – and of his new government staff – is to overcome these obstacles and to be even more active in the international political scene.
The positives of Macron’s re-election include the continuation of a policy that will boost the French economy and support the political power of the European Union. Italy, Germany and France are governed by close-knit central governments.
In the immediate aftermath of Macron’s stay in the French presidency, we can see further sanctions against Russia, a move that will make the European bloc’s stance on the embargo on Russian oil and gas even clearer. The immediate political goal may be the export of heavy weapons to Ukraine.
On the home front, Macron’s opponents will continue to try to discredit him, but the reality is that the political center has prevailed, and that is good for both France and Europe.
Source: Capital
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