(We all) had a miraculous escape

Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the second round of the French presidential election was expected. He got 58.54% of the vote, and he’s here for a second five-year term. A real achievement. However, many of them are eclectic.

the reason? Macron would not have had the support of his constituents alone. The deep desire of some of them to block Marine Le Pen’s path to the far right would have made her win instead.

But isn’t stopping the far right in itself a fully justified political goal? the reason? First and foremost, it aims to protect French democratic institutions and respect human rights in France.

Because despite his patience and success in the process of “de-demonization”, Le Pen and his patriotic crowd remain the main bearers in France of an assertive far-right vision. Above all, let us not fall into the trap of trying to get us to believe that the far right no longer exists…

This opinion exists. It is extreme nationalism. Anti-immigration. Anti-Islam, to the point of wanting to ban the wearing of the veil in public places. against Europe. The pro-Putin, authoritarian Kremlin, has been greatly admired by the far right and the far left.

That was why Le Pen’s defeat was such a relief. In France and elsewhere in the West. However, the concern remains because its progress is undeniable. Since the second round of 2017, it has gone from 33.90% of the vote to 41.46% in 2022. The rise is meteoric.

finally understand

For Emmanuel Macron, the challenge will be even more difficult. Separated from his people, he proved incapable of facing the rise of a pure and hardened Right. Hence her task of rectifying the situation promises to be arduous.

Will he finally be able to analyze the causes of this rise, which will allow him to act more accurately? They are numerous and range from the justifiable anger of the middle class over the erosion of its purchasing power to the darker recesses of xenophobia.

If Emmanuel Macron fails, it will be a disaster. Marine Le Pen’s support will continue to grow. In short, the rest of things are in Macron’s hands. One of the key pieces in his jigsaw puzzle lies to his left.

True, he owes part of his victory to the anti-Le Pen voters of the left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. However, it is also true that President Macron, if he really wants to, can seize the opportunity to “reinvent” himself in the most progressive corner of the political arena.

There is no option to reinvent yourself

Would not public policies that focus better on the common good be better able to respond to the growing anger of the French middle class and workers?

With all possible nuances, this is reminiscent of the situation of Justin Trudeau, whose minority victory forced him to make a pact with the National Democratic Party, which is also more progressive than the legislature.

However, the truth is that all elections are the result of a combination of votes “for” and votes “against” the current authority. Macron is no exception. The important thing in France is first and foremost to prevent the far right from accessing it.

Once this first goal is reached, the real, more complex work begins. To govern in a concrete way to weaken the far right in the 2027 presidential elections.

Which begins now for Emmanuel Macron. Before the legislative elections on June 12 and 19, time is already running out …