French Election: Macron Holds Off Far-Right Push

The New York Times, April 24, 2022

Event

Emmanuel Macron won a second term as president of France, triumphing on Sunday over Marine Le Pen, his far-right challenger, after a campaign where his promise of stability prevailed over the temptation of an extremist lurch.

At a critical moment in Europe, with fighting raging in Ukraine after the Russian invasion, France rejected a candidate hostile to NATO, to the European Union, to the United States, and to its fundamental values that hold that no French citizens should be discriminated against because they are Muslim. Ms. Le Pen is a longtime sympathizer with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, whom she visited at the Kremlin during her last campaign in 2017. She would almost certainly have pursued policies that weakened the united allied front to save Ukraine from Russia’s assault, offered Mr. Putin a breach to exploit in Europe, and undermined the European Union, whose engine has always been a joint Franco-German commitment to it.

Comment

Macron has won the French president election. He was standing against Marie Le Pen who was advocating a close approach with Russia. Le Pen spelled out her foreign policy objectives just before the second vote to elect the president of France. They were to – limit military support to Ukraine and steer clear from voting new sanctions against Russia; leave NATO’s integrated command; and relaunch a “strategic rapprochement between NATO and Russia” as soon as peace between Moscow and Kiev can be secured. But Le Pen did not win.

The Bible does not indicate that Russia (East) and the EU (West) will unite. They remain divided. Just as the 2 legs of Neb’s image remain divided. Just as the dragon and beast of Revelation remain divided….

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.  This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,  His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. (Daniel 2:31-33)

Andy Walton

Weekly World Watch

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Preceding

1. Fight against nationalism main struggle for feminists today
2. Germany wanting to do something against racism
3. Communists warn against far right and war in Europe

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Additional reading

1. 2014 European elections
2. Declaration of war against Islam and Christianity
3. Fight against nationalism main struggle for feminists today
4. Populism endangering democracy
5. Social media for Trumpists and changing nature of warfare
6. Today’s thought by the French elections and right-wing populism in the world

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