General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFrench Parties Unify Against Le Pen: 'This Is Deadly Serious Now'
By ADAM NOSSITER APRIL 23, 2017
PARIS Not since World War II has the anti-immigrant far right been closer to gaining power in France. With her second-place finish on Sunday in the first round of the presidential election, Marine Le Pen has dragged her National Front party from the dark fringes of its first 40 years.
But that remarkable accomplishment is so alarming to so many in France that as soon as the preliminary results were announced at 8:01 p.m., virtually all of her major opponents in the 11-person race called for her defeat in the second-round runoff on May 7. They implored their supporters to vote for the candidate projected to come out on top on Sunday, the centrist, pro-European Union former economy minister Emmanuel Macron, a political novice and outsider.
The first-round showing by Mr. Macron and Ms. Le Pen represented an earthquake, as they effectively broke the French political establishment. On the right and the left, the two parties that have governed France for more than 50 years suffered a severe defeat. They have been pushed aside in a wave of popular anger over the countrys stagnant economy and shaky security.
The rapid-fire endorsements of Mr. Macron, coming from across the political spectrum, represented a dynamic that has always prevailed in France when the National Front approaches executive power the cross-party, anti-far right alliance the French call the Republican Front. The question now is whether that front can hold this time, as well.
more
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/23/world/europe/france-election-parties-unify-against-marine-le-pen.html?emc=edit_th_20170424&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=57435284
riversedge
(70,306 posts)to stand strong. Two weeks is long time in politics.
delisen
(6,044 posts)It takes recognizing the threat to human rights, not underestimating that threat, and acting collectively to fight the enemies of human rights.
world wide wally
(21,755 posts)colsohlibgal
(5,275 posts)France may beat back the Far Right White Nationalists unlike us and Great Britain.
Lucky Luciano
(11,260 posts)The polls (which have not been great the last few years) do have him way way way ahead of the crazy LePew. Even bad polling will be accurate as far as the binary outcome is concerned here unless things radically change in two weeks.
Ezior
(505 posts)I'm a little worried about what Putin & Assange might be up to. Hopefully there's no kompromat (or perceived kompromat) about Macron like "his e-mails"!
Lucky Luciano
(11,260 posts)We watched at my company very closely since we were very sensitive to the outcome. Every one percent change for the key candidates was watched closely and considered newsworthy. I never saw the details of the polling methods, but the polls must have had some pretty tight confidence intervals.