French elections: Chance for better rule for a new old president

For the second time in a row, five years apart, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen has lost to Emmanuel Macron (La République en Marche!), Report informs.

On April 24, 2022, France elected a new old president for the next five years - Emmanuel Macron - with 58.54% of the vote, against 41.46% for Le Pen. The two had already met in the second round of the 2017 presidential election, where Macron won almost twice as many votes (66.10%) as Le Pen (33.90%).

Macron took 58.5% of April 24 vote, making him the first French leader to be reelected in 20 years, CNN reports.

In his victory speech, Macron vowed to be the "president for each and every one of you." He then thanked his supporters and acknowledged that many, like in 2017, voted for him simply to block the extreme right.

Macron said that his second term would not be a continuation of his first, committing to address all of France's current problems.

He also addressed those who supported Le Pen directly, saying that he, as president, must find an answer to "the anger and disagreements" that led them to vote for the far right.

"It will be my responsibility and that of those who surround me," Macron said.

"Stopping uncontrolled immigration" and "eradicating Islamist ideologies" were her manifesto's two priorities, and analysts said many of her policies on the EU would have put France at odds with the bloc.

Though Le Pen had abandoned some of her most controversial policy proposals, like leaving the European Union and the euro, her views on immigration and her position on Islam in France - she wants to make it illegal for women to wear headscarves in public - did not change, CNN noted.

The coming to power of the far-right, led by Le Pen, would change not only the foreign policy of France, but also the entire domestic policy of the country.

According to the BBC, Le Pen has shifted the focus of her speech since the 2017 election from a tough anti-immigrant stance to economic issues such as rising energy prices and rising inflation, according to the BBC.

However, the essence of her party’s anti-immigration sentiment and far-right politics remain unchanged. For example, she promises to stop the abuse of asylum right by holding a referendum to restrict immigration, and to ban the wearing of the hijab in public places and schools, the BBC reported.

The issue of the hijab also caused great controversy among the citizens of France during the debate held on the eve of the second round of the presidential elections, where Macron announced that such a move was contrary to the constitution of the republic and would lead to civil war.

Many French refused to choose sides at all, which, most likely, can be explained by the reluctance to see any of the candidates as the leaders of the republic. Thus, Ipsos estimated the percentage of abstentions at 28.2%, which is 1.9 points more than in the first round and 2.7 points more than in the second round in 2017.

Although Macron's task was more difficult - to justify himself over the past five years and prove that he is capable of the best, the common sense of the French population won out, and they preferred hope to extremist beliefs and gave Macron a chance. For of two evils, Macron is indeed the lesser, both for the domestic and foreign policy of France.