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General News Macron beats Le Pen in French presidential election

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by Aussie792, May 7, 2017.

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  1. Aussie792

    Aussie792
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    Macron will become President on the 14th of May, as France's youngest president since Louis-Napoleon and a staunchly pro-European president, unlike Le Pen's eurosceptic and hard-right agenda. Macron's record on LGBT rights is minimal but positive, whereas Le Pen's party is famous for its odd marriage of homophobia and race-baiting to win LGBT voters over.

    Importantly for the success of the Macron presidency, the first and second rounds of the parliamentary elections will occur on the 11th and 18th of June, respectively. If his En Marche! movement maintains its current momentum in the polls, he may have direct parliamentary influence but it is likely he will have to choose a prime minister from either the conservative Republican Party or the damaged Socialist Party.
     
    #1 Aussie792, May 7, 2017
  2. WeDreamOfPeace

    WeDreamOfPeace
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    I am so happy about this for some reason. I am so glad the tidal wave of hatred and suspicion have not triumphed over hope and human rights in France. May the rest of us take a stand against distrust and hate in our respective countries.

    Peace & hope to all of you. May Macron lend an able hand to bringing Europe out of it's current nightmare of prejudice!
     
    #2 WeDreamOfPeace, May 7, 2017
  3. Browncoat

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    Well, at least some good news.
     
    #3 Browncoat, May 7, 2017
  4. Libertino

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    If the French establishment continues to be as ineffective as it has been, that will surely radicalize the population further. I am pleased that Macron has secured victory, but Le Pen revealed a populist frustration in the French people that I do not imagine will go away just because Macron won; once this frustration has found its outlet in someone more palatable than Le Pen, we could se a resurgence in this brand of right-wing politics, especially if Macron's administration is unable to curb the problems around France's Muslim population.
     
    #4 Libertino, May 7, 2017
  5. Flowey

    Flowey
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    I can tell my mom that there isn't going to be any Frexit going on soon and the € is not going to disappear. She has been fretting about that for months.
     
    #5 Flowey, May 8, 2017
  6. Reciprocal

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    I don't care that much because I'm not French, but I was kinda looking forward to having a travelling companion in our venture out of the EU. Still, good luck to Monsieur Macron. I'm looking forward to seeing how he'll go about combatting terrorism in Paris, and how Le Pen will go about redesigning her party as she says she will.
     
    #6 Reciprocal, May 8, 2017
  7. Iliricon

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    YES! Our neighbors are not as stupid as the islanders where (no offense meant to any British people here, but leaving the EU was kind of a dumb move)!

    Now we will just have to prove that we are as intelligent as the French in the German elections this fall. If nothing goes wrong, we will at least not have any Trump 2.0 catastrophes in (western) Europe.
     
    #7 Iliricon, May 8, 2017
  8. pinkpanther

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    Thanks to the French for not voting for the fascists.

    At least some people still have some reason left in them at this time of troubles.
     
    #8 pinkpanther, May 8, 2017
  9. PatrickUK

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    I am pleased about this result, even though a Macron Presidency will make the Brexit process more difficult. It seems the French system has worked well to lock the far right out and President Macron needs to take that into account. There is a simmering rage in French society, expressed in the votes for his opponent and he only won because Republicans and Socialists came together and voted for him after their candidate was eliminated. To some extent, the final result betrays that simple fact.

    I think the new President will have a hard time implementing his reform program and will meet lots of resistance from labour unions and vested interests. If his En Marche movement does not build a coalition or make significant parliamentary gains he will struggle in just the same way as Francois Hollande has.
     
    #9 PatrickUK, May 9, 2017
  10. Aussie792

    Aussie792
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    I think the most sensible thing for him to do, if En Marche! wins fewer seats than the Republicans, is to accept the possibility of a cohabitation and make the appointment of a Republican prime minister contingent on socially progressive policies (eg. maintaining same-sex marriage, a solid safety net without the traditional largesse of French welfare) and allow them to implement a Fillon-esque labour reform that he more or less wants anyway.

    That fiscal rectitude while not abandoning the most vulnerable, and the strengthening of France's economic mobility and productivity will go a long way to gaining legitimacy in Germany and consequently allowing a more centralised Europe's resources to flow back into France. That's a benefit Ursula von der Leyen made very clear would only happen if French politicians were willing to bite the bullet and increase French productivity and reduce public spending. That also goes for increasing pan-European defence and intelligence cooperation, which is Macron's route to combating terror.

    The medicine will be harsh. But the alternative of stagnation will not do away with the National Front. All it will do is turn France's lost decade of substanceless politics under Sarkozy and Holalnde into another five or ten years of decreasing living standards and more anger. If he's impeded, particularly by a left willing to accept stagnation in exchange for high welfare and rigid work conditions, all the problems of unemployment and low security Le Pen decried will still be there. And if he fails, the European project will likely stagnate or disintegrate.
     
    #10 Aussie792, May 9, 2017
  11. blaziken25

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    Not too happy about this but the French people have chosen.
     
    #11 blaziken25, May 9, 2017
  12. Isaacsolomon

    Isaacsolomon
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    Is this because you think Macron's not all he's cracked up to be?
     
    #12 Isaacsolomon, May 13, 2017
  13. summersun

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    I'm afraid that there are too high hopes on Macron. The reaction in the media reminds me of Obamas election. In the future the french government needs to enact reforms,just like Germany had to in the beginning of the 21. century. This is going to be a hard and long process and I hope that Macron finds the majorities in the parliament that are necessary.

    I am very relieved that he won the election. It's a chance to keep the EU alive and I hope that the EU has the strength and the unity to make the changes that are necessary. I cannot bear hearing all these nationalist, right-wing, anti EU voices in Germany, France, Poland, Hungary, Austria etc.
     
    #13 summersun, May 13, 2017
  14. Isaacsolomon

    Isaacsolomon
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    I'm personally very relieved he won too, although I don't know too much about him, I was just on Team 'Anyone-but-Le Pen'. Time will tell if he is just an opportunist who can't deliver. But I'm also horrified by the far-right people rising, not just in those countries, but in the UK as well, where I am. People need another way. If politicians like Macron can keep them from getting restless and going with the worst possible alternative at the ballot-box, more power to them.
     
    #14 Isaacsolomon, May 13, 2017
  15. Aussie792

    Aussie792
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    http://www.economist.com/news/europ...pe-french-president-makes-good-promise-govern

    Macron has chosen Republican mayor of Le Havre and deputy (MP) Edouard Philippe to be prime minister after a number of Republicans refused, hoping to gain more influence in the elections of next month. Philippe has never been a minister but was a close advisor to Alain Juppé.

    That means he's likely to survive a vote of confidence once the new Parliament is elected next month - a Republican and La République en Marche! coalition will probably hold a majority or at least sway other parties to support it, especially if Republicans feel they have something to gain from joining the government.

    It's also an important step towards loosening the labour market; a socialist prime minister would probably not have taken as seriously the fundamental economic reforms France has been lacking since 1995. Philippe is also relatively young and removed from the more 'swampish' insider culture of the Parisian political elite, which could help Macron renovate the image of French politics and restore trust.
     
    #15 Aussie792, May 15, 2017
  16. randomname123

    randomname123
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    The shameless globalist puppet beats the politically illiterate buffoon. Not a victory to celebrate.
     
    #16 randomname123, Jun 16, 2017
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