Right trumps far-right
26/3/15 13:41![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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talkpoliticsFrance local elections: Conservatives hold off National Front
The French far-right formation Front National has suffered a series of unexpected defeats at the local elections from last Sunday, and this could potentially be a sign that the ongoing trend of ascent of the extremist and far-right parties in Europe may have started to get reversed now. A number of exit polls have shown that the FN candidates are losing to the conservative (center-right) party of Nicolas Sarkozy and their allies at the first round of the local election.
The expectations that Le Pen's Eurosceptic and anti-immigrant party would win the first place were high, and they were looking sure to fortify their positions for the upcoming presidential election. But it turned out, it is these local elections that could be marking the beginning of a turnover in the history of a movement that's been firmly based on extremist, divisive rhetoric, the constant flaming up of xenophobic fears, and hatred against minorities, foreigners, and anyone who isn't "one of us".
What's more, this result could be viewed as a sign of the return of former president Sarkozy, who for a time looked like he had become a political corpse, and had completely vanished from politics. But just less than one presidential term later, his successor's popularity has reached stunningly low levels, and continues to drop.
On the other hand, it'd not only be stupid to write off the FN so early - it's also possible that the voters have grown tired of Hollande's rule as well, and they could again turn to the main rightist party in search for alternatives. Looks like this will be a contest between the center-right and far-right in France for the hearts and minds of the majority of disillusioned voters.
Britain should probably be taking notes right now, because there are elections coming up in May across the English Channel, and both the Tories and Labour are facing a serious challenge from the UKIP, the Greens and a number of other minor parties. In the rest of Europe, the volatility and unpredictability in people's political orientations remains more than obvious - as has become evident from Syriza's victory in Greece. Parties which until very recently were considered insignificant organizations, are now positioned as main players at the political scene, sometimes even calling the shots, as is the case in Greece.
In Spain, the left-wing Podemos party is also hoping to enter that category, and chop off a significant chunk of the power pie for itself.
In France, the FN has been a force to reckon with for years, and at some point it was even a major contender for the presidential post, but Jean-Marie Le Pen came short of beating Jacques Chirac back then. Now his daughter Marine could've learned her lessons from all that - if she's smart enough. And if she's even smarter, she'd read the signals that last week's election has sent her way.
The French far-right formation Front National has suffered a series of unexpected defeats at the local elections from last Sunday, and this could potentially be a sign that the ongoing trend of ascent of the extremist and far-right parties in Europe may have started to get reversed now. A number of exit polls have shown that the FN candidates are losing to the conservative (center-right) party of Nicolas Sarkozy and their allies at the first round of the local election.
The expectations that Le Pen's Eurosceptic and anti-immigrant party would win the first place were high, and they were looking sure to fortify their positions for the upcoming presidential election. But it turned out, it is these local elections that could be marking the beginning of a turnover in the history of a movement that's been firmly based on extremist, divisive rhetoric, the constant flaming up of xenophobic fears, and hatred against minorities, foreigners, and anyone who isn't "one of us".
What's more, this result could be viewed as a sign of the return of former president Sarkozy, who for a time looked like he had become a political corpse, and had completely vanished from politics. But just less than one presidential term later, his successor's popularity has reached stunningly low levels, and continues to drop.
On the other hand, it'd not only be stupid to write off the FN so early - it's also possible that the voters have grown tired of Hollande's rule as well, and they could again turn to the main rightist party in search for alternatives. Looks like this will be a contest between the center-right and far-right in France for the hearts and minds of the majority of disillusioned voters.
Britain should probably be taking notes right now, because there are elections coming up in May across the English Channel, and both the Tories and Labour are facing a serious challenge from the UKIP, the Greens and a number of other minor parties. In the rest of Europe, the volatility and unpredictability in people's political orientations remains more than obvious - as has become evident from Syriza's victory in Greece. Parties which until very recently were considered insignificant organizations, are now positioned as main players at the political scene, sometimes even calling the shots, as is the case in Greece.
In Spain, the left-wing Podemos party is also hoping to enter that category, and chop off a significant chunk of the power pie for itself.
In France, the FN has been a force to reckon with for years, and at some point it was even a major contender for the presidential post, but Jean-Marie Le Pen came short of beating Jacques Chirac back then. Now his daughter Marine could've learned her lessons from all that - if she's smart enough. And if she's even smarter, she'd read the signals that last week's election has sent her way.
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Date: 26/3/15 13:53 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/3/15 07:54 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/3/15 20:22 (UTC)