STORY & GRAPHICS BY AMY DAO
PHOTO CREDIT REUTERS
STAFF WRITER
On Sunday April 24, far right nationalist, Marine Le Pen, conceded in the running for the French presidency against now two-term elected Emmanuel Macron. But this is not Le Pen’s first runoff with Macron. Both ran against each other in 2017, but statistics show a more narrow victory margin in this election than last.
According to Politico, 2022 data shows a closer ballot, with Macron at 58.5% and Le Pen at 41.5% in comparison to the last running in 2017 at 66.3% to 33.7%. However, the civil divide between both parties in France, some argue, is reminiscent of the 2020 American presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
When Emmanuel Macron had run for the presidency in 2017, numbers were higher because the French believed he’d be more progressive with left-leaning promises. During his term however, Macron’s policies in-office turned out to be a lot more capital driven, with many feeling there was a lack of effort to address inequality. The rise of fuel prices left French citizens outraged, starting protests, such as the “Yellow Vest” movement in 2018, as stated in The New York Times. This gave Le Pen an advantage in the run- ning to appeal to more vot- ers.
A lot of these votes for Macron weren’t ideal for the left wing, but was necessary to maintain peace in France, and to keep a far-right nationalist out of office. Marine Le Pen is in support of Russia amidst the Ukraine Crisis and called for strict immigration policies in France to maintain job security and opportunities to French people. She has appealed to the citizens angered by inequality during Macron’s term, with a campaign rhetoric similar to former President Donald Trump in 2016 with the American Republican conservatives.
With a more narrow margin to victory, politicians argue Macron has a lot of work to do following this next term to address these concerns