Daily News Editorial

A victory for France

09 May 2017

The people of France have spoken decisively for inclusion, multiculturalism and European unity by electing Emmanuel Macron as their next President. Centrist Macron, just 39, becomes the youngest leader of France since Napoleon, having won nearly 67 percent of the votes cast.

His term begins on Sunday May 14, just two months shy of the 228th anniversary of Bastille Day and on the cusp of the 60th anniversary of the French Fifth Republic. His victory marks the third time that extremists have been defeated in Europe, starting from Austria and the Netherlands. It is a victory not just for France but also for globalism and democracy.

In the second round of voting held on Sunday, French voters faced a stark choice between two candidates who held vastly different views on the future of France. Macron, a former civil servant, investment banker and Economy Minister, is pro-European Union, pro-immigration and pro-multiculturism. In fact, when his victory was announced Macron strode to the podium to the strains of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, the anthem of the European Union.

His main rival Marine Le Pen (48), daughter of Jean Marie Le Pen, represented the far-right National Front that stood for "Frexit" (taking France out of the European Union and euro Single currency) and drastic cuts in immigration. Her xenophobic “France First” campaign, that uncannily followed US President Donald Trump’s successful “America First” election campaign and the success of the Brexit campaign in the UK, however failed to resonate with French voters, of whom only around 33 percent voted for her. She did manage to get almost double the votes her father received in 2002 at the Presidential polls. Frexit would have been a disaster for France, which is at the heart of Europe and French voters have resoundingly rejected that proposal in a blow to all nationalist parties in Europe.

In Macron, French voters have opted for a political neophyte shorn of any scandals, which is rather unusual in French politics. He did receive a little bit of help in this regard from former Prime Minister François Fillon whose campaign was marred by a series of corruption allegations involving his wife that led to his first round exit. Macron started his campaign virtually from scratch, under the theme En Marche (Onward/On the Move) without the backing of any of the traditional political parties. Macron has the added bonus of being very young and good looking – only the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can perhaps beat him in that department. And the French also warmed up to his fairy-tale romance – Macron is married to his former drama teacher Brigitte Trogneux who is 24-years-older.

Macron inherits a France beset with a variety of problems. His predecessor Francois Hollande’s re-election campaign fell by the wayside due to his inability to solve France’s chronic unemployment problem and contain a string of ISIS terror attacks in key French cities. The same problems will no doubt haunt Macron during the next five years at the Elysee. Macron will have to play a key role in the fight against extremism and terrorism and allay the fears over immigration. He has also pledged to cut government spending, reform the tax code, generate employment and loosen up France’s rigid labour markets.

Macron’s first task will be to appoint a Prime Minister and a strong Cabinet, which is likely to include many outsiders just like him. But gaining a Parliamentary majority will be a bigger challenge, because En Marche has never ever contested a Parliamentary election (one is due next month).

In January, Macron announced En Marche! would field candidates in all 577 parliamentary constituencies. He wants half to come from civil society or elected local authorities. All must have a clean criminal record, renounce current political affiliations and campaign as an En Marche! candidate. At least half must be women. This is going to be a very challenging task, because voter apathy was a major factor in the Presidential polls, with millions of voters choosing to stay at home. If he cannot muster enough votes for a Parliamentary majority, Macron may have to strike a deal with some of the bigger traditional parties.

Leaders around the world breathed a sigh of relief as the elections results were announced, because a Le Pen victory would have caused chaos in Europe. They were quick to congratulate Macron on his victory which could dampen the spirits of nationalist and extremist parties everywhere. Stock markets around the world too reacted positively to the news, since France is a leading financial centre.

Relations between Sri Lanka and France have generally been excellent, except for a brief period during and after 2009 when the French Government expressed serious concern over the Human Rights situation in Sri Lanka. Fences have been mended after this Government came to power and France has been very supportive of Sri Lanka’s endeavours for achieving lasting peace and reconciliation. There is no doubt that Sri Lanka-France diplomatic, cultural and social ties will become stronger under Macron with his more enlightened global outlook. Vive La France!