France’s partners will not have to cope with Marine Le Pen as president, who is already dealing with a conflict in Ukraine, soaring energy bills, and the climate problem.
The relief among Western leaders after President Emmanuel Macron’s re-election on Sunday night was nearly palpable.
However, the amount of the vote for far-right leader Marine Le Pen demonstrates a substantial surge of support for her nationalist ideals, indicating a larger battle ahead for French and European politics.
France’s partners will not have to cope with Le Pen, a far-right politician who rants against the European Union and has a long history of admiring Russian President Vladimir Putin, as president, when they are already dealing with a conflict in Ukraine, soaring energy bills, and the climate problem.
President Barack Obama praised Macron, calling France “our longest friend and a critical partner in confronting global issues.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine congratulated “a real friend of Ukraine” on his triumph, and a lengthy list of other European leaders sent similar greetings.
In a tweet, European Council President Charles Michel appeared to sum up the mood: “In this tumultuous era, we need a strong Europe.”
With the Eiffel Tower in the background, Macron’s supporters waved E.U. flags during his victory address on Sunday. Putin’s military adventurism overseas and domestic politicians on both ends have questioned the president’s re-election, which has been greeted as an affirmation of a far bigger vision that has been challenged by Putin’s military adventurism abroad and local politicians on both extremes. In France, Le Pen has taken up that mantle, and with 13 million votes, the largest ever cast for a far-right candidate, many in the country agree with her.
“Voters for Le Pen aren’t going anywhere.” “There is support for her ideas and what she stands for, and it isn’t simply a protest vote from people who don’t like Macron — people agree with her agenda, if not all of it, and find it appealing,” said Marta Lorimer, a London School of Economics expert on far-right European politics.
The dilemma for the French far-right, according to Lorimer, is whether competing offshoots — such as the movement behind Eric Zemmour, who ran an unsuccessful first-round campaign to Le Pen — can agree on working together to mount an electoral challenge.
According to polls, Macron won because of what French political commentators refer to as “beavers” — voters who voted for Macron to prevent a Le Pen victory rather than because they believe in his platform. “Many of our countrymen voted for me not to endorse my views, but to stop those of the extreme right,” Macron said.
This hesitancy might backfire on Macron in June’s important legislative elections, which he must win to ensure the passage of an agenda that includes a divisive pension reform plan.
