Europe must come up with a convincing response
In the end, French President Emmanuel Macron’s gamble of dissolving parliament and calling for early elections paid off. It led to the defeat of National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, who expected her party to gain an absolute majority in the snap elections and believed she had a clear path to becoming France’s first far-right president. Macron’s risk forced French voters to confront their responsibilities, triggering an unprecedented political alert that brought seven out of 10 citizens to the polls for the first time since the 1980s.
Democratic forces collaborated in the runoff vote, blocking the far-right’s path to power. Despite the demagogue Le Pen softening her stance, renouncing her close ties with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, and promising benefits and an even more generous welfare state, she could not deceive them.
It is now only a matter of time before a moderate government is formed through the collaboration of Macron’s party with a segment of the left-wing New Popular Front coalition, such as the Socialist Party of Raphael Glucksmann. However, this will not include the far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon, who reminds one of SYRIZA with its history of political activism, and, when it came to power, the irrational negotiations with the country’s foreign lenders that brought Greece into conflict with Europe.
The lesson from France’s political ordeal is crucial for all of Europe. Ten million French citizens did not suddenly transform from democrats into far-right supporters and fascists. These are people who feel left behind by developments. They fear that globalization, new technologies and the economic trajectory of the world will cause them to lose what they have achieved. They worry about their job security, the survival of their family and standard of living. They are trying to resist and express their despair in any way they can.
The European Union must provide a convincing response to these people, who are not only in France but also in Greece, post-Brexit Britain, and even the economically strong countries of Northern Europe. Europe, characterized by democracy, moderation and culture, needs to offer proposals, programs and policies that also embrace those who feel they are losing their footing.
