While several Social Democratic and Socialist parties are regaining a certain electoral audience in Western Europe, in the French presidential race, the socialist candidate Anne Hidalgo won 1.75 per cent – the lowest for the Socialist Party since the beginning of the Fifth Republic. Hidalgo cannot be held as the only one responsible for this […]
France
In a rematch of the 2017 election, President Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen of the far-right Rassemblement National. Macron is the first incumbent president to get elected for a second consecutive term in the past 20 years. On the face of it, it seems a comfortable victory for Macron who won with 58.5 per […]
The presidential election was the ultimate reward for Emmanuel Macron – the President of the Republic. He campaigned for this opportunity, an opportunity to preside over a reshaping of the political landscape. From this day forward, the political spectrum and the debate which surrounds it will be focused on one question; can the Socialist Party […]
It is understandable how academic commentary has been stimulated over recent months but in the aftermath of the Forward! (En Marche!) political victory it is important to remember the fundamental points. The use ‘populism’ as a catch-all phrase to characterise the positions of both Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and, to a lesser extent Emmanuel […]
A great deal has already been said about this presidential election: a hold-up, an unforgettable election, a coconut-shy election, a populist election, a disaster for the so-called mainstream parties, the demonisation of the National Front … and many many more. In reality all of this can be said to be true. Though these terms are […]
Although stigmatisation of foreigners has been the mainspring of the National Front since its foundation, the far-right party is now trying to present itself as “the voice of the people” and defender of the weak by investing in economic and social issues. The inability of successive governments to provide convincing answers to rising inequalities, lack […]