French presidential election

We, along with the rest of the world, have heaved a sigh of relief after the outcome of the first round of the French presidential election. The victory of Emmanuel Macron, who founded his political party only a year ago, will face ultra-right wing Marine Le Pen in the final run-off. The results of the first round show some signs of hope as Le Pen and her party's demagoguery, anti-immigrant populism and Islamophobia have been rejected by the voters.

Having said that, the election has exposed some deep divisions in the French polity. With unemployment figure hovering at the double digit and the rising tide of ultra-nationalism making its wave felt at the Côte d'Azur, no established political party has done well in the polls. So much so that, for the first time since the establishment of the Fifth republic, the second presidential run-off is going to be without the candidates of any traditional political party. This reflects how disillusioned the ordinary people have become with the political establishment, a trend we have seen repeating itself in the elections across the western hemisphere.  

However, we remain hopeful of Macron's message of positive politics that includes diversity and open borders. The future of French's membership of the European Union (EU) and the question of the latter's survival as a political entity hinge upon the balance as Le Pen wants to emulate the Brexit model to leave the EU. However, there are reasons to feel optimistic about, as the opinion polls predict, a resounding victory for Macron. Also, we believe that, during the final round of polls on May 7, the French will lean favourably on the great ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité of the French Revolution that heralded the birth of liberal democracies around the world.