“Europe Not Winner of France Presidential Vote”

BASIRAT POLITICAL CENTER

A political analyst says the EU’s support for French President-elect Emmanuel Macron does not mean Europe has been the victor in the votes.

Finally, French presidential contender Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen in the runoff, securing his position at the Élysée Palace. Macron garnered more than 65%t of the vote against Le Pen’s 34%.

Political analyst Hanif Ghaffari has expressed his views on the French presidential election. The analytical piece follows:

Did "United Europe” Really Emerge Victorious in Election?

The fact of the matter is the European Union has not won the French election. From now on, we will be witnessing dialogues between European leaders and French President-elect Emmanuel Macron which, at times, may take on the form of disputes. Macron is not an inactive and weak politician like Francois Hollande is. Macron knows well that, in order to maintain power at the Élysée Palace, he will sometimes need to be ready for standoffs with European countries.

Five Key Points Regarding French Presidential Vote

- The French presidential election shed light on the decline of traditional and moderate political parties in the country’s political arena. At the moment, both Socialist and Conservative parties have a tough road ahead in order to redefine themselves in France’s political landscape. The failure of the candidates of Socialist and Republican parties to make it to the second round shows French citizens do not trust the two parties. This came as both traditional parties in France believed political and executive power in the country would always change hands between these two very parties.

- Vote count results show Le Pen managed to secure some 34% of the vote in the runoff. Around 4.2 million people also preferred to cast blank ballots. The tally has given Le Pen hope to plan for the 2022 presidential election. Moreover, the National Front of France have Europe’s parliamentary and France’s municipal elections ahead. Anyway, Le Pen’s securing 34% of the ballot has made her determined to continue her path.

- Indubitably, from now on we will be witnessing far-right groups in Europe consolidate their stances and nationalist groups in the European Union forge closer ties with one another. During France’s presidential election, nationalist groups across Europe supported Le Pen. One way or another, she will, from now on, be seeking to maintain the unity which has emerged among far-right groups. In this equation, she will play the role of a pivot. Nationalist groups and far-right currents in such countries as the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Austria, etc, have managed to make recruitments in their countries in recent years. The election in France showed a united Europe has but to pay a heavy price to contain far-right currents. In the recent vote, the whole Europe had to enter the scene in order to keep Le Pen from winning.

- In the French presidential election, the European Union openly trampled its commitments underfoot. European officials’ overt support for Macron’s presidency amounts to Europe’s interference in the political equations of a country. In the election, senior EU officials, including European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, officially expressed their backing for Macron. Naturally, even many of Macron’s supporters did not approve of the EU’s backing for Macron and considered it a kind of meddling in France’s internal affairs. That is why rifts have been growing between the EU and the public opinion in France in the wake of the recent election. Creating the impression that the EU has been the victor in France’s presidential vote will further widen the chasm.

- A united Europe seeks to create the impression that it is the winner of the French presidential election. Most European media outlets have tried to equate Le Pen’s defeat with the European Union’s triumph. This comes as Macron, while remaining committed to basic tenets of the European Union, and is critical of the current situation in a united Europe. He has promised to trigger the process of reforms in the Eurozone and European Union in the coming months. Incontrovertibly, some European politicians like German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not have a positive view toward this issue. Basically, the fact that French citizens have generally turned their back on Socialist and Republican parties means the EU has been defeated in the election. Needless to say, EU leaders cannot equate Le Pen’s defeat with their victory in the election. The defeat of a united Europe came about in the very first round of the presidential vote when traditional parties supporting the status quo in Europe failed to make it to the runoff.