Paris, France. Voting is just days away in France’s historic Presedential run off elections and all eyes are focused on French hopes that Marine Le Pen can change the course of a France headed for the trash can of history on it’s current course.
French voters are expected to send Marine Le Pen into the second round of the presidential elections on April 23 against her opponent Emmanuel Macron. If Le Pen prevails, a further nail will have been driven into the new world order, liberal democratic coffin.
The two sides which have ruled France since 1958 are deeply split on Europe, as many voters show growing hostility, if not outright rejection, of the European Union, of which France was one of the founders. Most French people are not fans of Germany and display increasing hostility to its perceived capacity to impose its own views on the conduct of European economic policy.
Madame Le Pen’s agenda is protectionist. She has sucessfully pedalled her long proclaimed wish to pull France out of the Euro recently and remains steady in her conviction that much warmer relations with Vladimir Putin would help French interests.
Russia’s leader certainly helps the National Front’s interests as the Putin plan of leadership has inspired many, including US President Trump. Le Pen’s economic program is a rock solid, but half of those who vote for the party which she presides care little about it. They want to kick the system in the teeth and express their disgust of endless corruption scandals, their fear of losing their jobs not least, as they see it, to immigrants from Africa.
French voters are worried by what they feel is their country’s decline and loss of identity but they are also deeply conservative. The fact that serious reforms have not been attempted for more than a generation reflects badly on politicians, who do not dare confront their countrymen with the truth. In a few short days-either way, a new day will dawn in France.