With right wing parties gaining prominence across europe, Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the french presidential polls offers liberals hope to counter the nationalistic and protectionist narrative.
What is at stake is not just the future of France but, to a large extent, the future of Europe and, even broader, the image of democracy in the world”, they said before the French presidential election, which resonated throughout Europe and across the Atlantic. In the wake of Brexit and Donald Trump’s unexpected victory, it offered a stark choice between a liberal, establishment vision for France and Europe personified by Emmanuel Macron and a nationalist, protectionist one offered by Le Pen. The magnitude of his victory showed that Europe, the euro single currency and a liberal economy (in short globalisation) are, contrary to stereotype, electoral winners, especially in France.
Europe has had the most terror attacks and taken in the maximum immigrants of Islamic faith has time and again shown that the response to fears is not in turning right! What is it about European society that makes it so liberated? Holland first, Austria then and now France! On all three occasions, the bogey of right winning the polls was drummed up by the media.
What Macron’s win means is French liberalism may survive, even if they banned Azan, Burkhas and made the practice of faith a private affair to be observed at home, they shut mosques and yet these things were not seen in a negative light. Also, not wearing your religious identity may protect you from the haters. In a sense, French thinking was different from other European powers. Seen in the outside world as isolationist and even xenophobic, French society has had much to offer the immigrants.
Where will France head now is the most intriguing question as elections to parliament loom. The youth unemployment rate stands just below 24% and if it grows any, Macron's En Marche! movement, which left both the Socialists and the Republicans - the two parties that have reigned over French politics since the founding of the Fifth Republic - gasping and flailing behind him, would have to face the wrath.
Le Pen’s front National objected to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy (which is the European anthem) being played when Macron entered the Louvre instead of La Marseillaise. Macron knows he inherits a divided country as illustrated by the big divisions between urban and small-town France, between the north-east leaning toward Le Pen and the south-west toward Macron, between the educated and the non-educated.
Romantic French accept older First Lady
The romantic French did not mind a wee bit at the teenaged student Macron romancing his teacher 24 years older to him and then going on to marry her. They accepted Brigitte as their First Lady though she had left the father of her two children to marry her ex-student. In fact, the very unusual love story seems to have not just captivated France but also gave Macron’s campaign a big push. There should be many there terribly jealous with her as the youngest President of France does not suffer from any scars of sex scandals and remains devoted to her. The couple has spoken freely of the international obsession with their age difference.
