The Coltons Point
Times predicts Emmanuel Macron will be the next President of France when the
dust settles from this Sunday's French election.
The French election this Sunday is a rare opportunity to see
what happens in France
when the two candidates who are not from the two dominant political parties
square off. It will be Emmanuel Macron
versus Marine Le Pen.
At this late stage, Macron has a lead but remember the
American election where Hillary Clinton was ahead of Trump in the polls the
closing days, up to a double-digit lead in some polls.
Macron, a banker, is a candidate for his own En Marche party and if elected, will be the youngest French president in
history, and also one who has never held elective office. Le Pen is a candidate of the National Front party, formerly known as
a rather radical minor party, and she has injected new enthusiasm and life into
it.
With former President Obama's last-minute endorsement of
Macron today, the American Democrats hope to tie their wagon to a rising foreign
leader's star, but the link is pretty weak considering the Democrats have always
been backers of the major party socialist or left leaning parties. President Trump has stayed out of the race.
Ironically, the candidate Obama endorsed, Macron, would be
far more comfortable with Trump than Le Pen, and the traditional French left wing
parties should be upset the former American Democratic president did not help
them.
What are the main political parties in France that
self-destructed in the primary?
UMP - Union for a Popular Movement - (Union
pour un Mouvement Populaire)
PS - Socialist Party - (Parti Socialiste)
MoDem - Democratic Movement - (Mouvement démocrate)
PCF - French Communist Party - (Parti Communiste Français)
Verts - The Greens - (Les Verts)
NC - New Centre - (Nouveau Centre)
Just remember that these are the major parties and France has a
seemingly endless number of legitimate parties for a multitude of causes.
The following quotes from The London Telegraph provide a rather good assessment of the
candidates and race.
"As for the two
candidates for president, Emmanuel Macron is a member of the En Marche ! party while
Marine Le Pen is a member of the National Front. Needless to say, none of the top French
parties can take credit for either candidate which makes this election unique..
One outcome of
the French presidential election on Sunday is certain: Europe
won't be the same.
The choice between
candidates, however, could hardly be more stark.
A victory by far-right
candidate Marine Le Pen would shake the foundations of the Western world.
President Trump's victory was seen as consequential in Europe ,
but a Le Pen win would be incomparably more significant, some liberals say.
Whereas Trump has frequently changed his mind on issues, Le Pen's agenda
has remained virtually unchanged for years. She has vowed to pull France out
of NATO's
military command, the euro
zone and the European Union. Few doubt that she would deliver.
Her centrist opponent,
Emmanuel Macron, who is leading in the polls, takes an opposing view: His
pro-European agenda is based on a neoliberal economic approach and on
a moderate stance on social issues. He would also be the most pro-American
French president in a long time.
With Macron as French
president, the U.S. will
encounter a much stronger, strategic, self-confident, forward-thinking France and therefore Europe,” said Nicholas
Dungan, a senior fellow at the D.C.-based Atlantic Council who works in France . “The U.S. , whether it understands it or not, needs a
strong Europe .”
Americans who live in France say there are several reasons that a
Macron victory could benefit the United States . France is a strong NATO ally and has
recently conducted airstrikes against the Islamic State alongside the United States
and other nations. French forces have also participated in NATO operations
in Afghanistan .
Le Pen, however, wants to cooperate more closely with Russia instead of the United States ."
.