These Are the Factors That Led to Macron’s Victory

Emmanuel Macron was re-elected President of the Republic on Sunday, April 24, 2022, with 58.54% of the vote against 41.46% for Marine Le Pen, according to the final scores communicated by the Ministry of the Interior.

The President of the Republic won with a comfortable lead over Marine Le Pen. However, the gap is much smaller than in the 2017 elections. Emmanuel Macron has admitted having been reelected to the Elysée thanks to a vote of "dam" by certain voters.

The Guardian pointed out that Le Pen succeeded in achieving the most extreme right-wing ever in a French presidential election, after a campaign centered around the cost of living crisis, and promises to ban Islamic headscarves in public places, as well as measures to prioritize citizens.

It added that the turnout in the French elections was lower than it was 5 years ago, with abstentions estimated at a record 28%.

From another hand, Emmanuel Macron marks the history of French politics by becoming the first President of the Republic re-elected outside the period of cohabitation.

The French president considered that France should raise its voice, and everyone should work for unity and rise to the challenges in the coming years, saying, "We have a common responsibility, and this is what makes us a unique force."

 

Countering Le Pen

The Observer highlighted that there are about 5-6 million Muslims in France, and the majority of them voted for the leftist candidate Jean Le Melenchon in the first round. Yet, many of them did not specify their position or decided to boycott the second round of the presidential elections, despite a number of imams calling for worshipers to vote In favor of Macron to block Le Pen.

The Observer added many Muslims in France feel that they have been deceived by Macron, who in previous elections promoted socially progressive values but reneged on them in order to contain the extreme right, and under Macron's rule, a law was introduced giving the authorities the right to monitor Islamic organizations specifically.

On another side, the Al-Estiklal report issued on April 12 explained that aiming to counter Le Pen’s election, Muslim and migrants organizations have managed to overcome their differences to work together in a campaign to promote the necessity of reelecting Macron. Although Macron was not the ideal choice for them, the logic was to opt for the “lesser evil” option.

The report emphasized that the same logic was adopted 20 years ago when people voted for Jacques Chirac in the 2002 elections to block the historic far-right leader Jean Marie Le Pen during the second round.

Nevertheless, Jacques Chirac passed the law against the Muslim headscarf in public schools and set the stage for the next twenty years of legal Islamophobia. On the same track in 2017, people voted for Macron to stop Le Pen, with the results we see in front of us.

The Political activist in France Smail Khalafallah told Al-Estiklal on April 19: “Although many voters do not want to vote for Macron, they feel the urgent need to vote in order to stop Le Pen.”

 

Centrist Stance

The BBC explained the reasons behind Macron’s victory. Macron had liberal views on social issues such as gay rights and gender equality, for example, positions that garnered support from the left, but he was also an economic liberal who believed in relaxing business restrictions to get the economy moving, and this attracted many voters from the right. This kind of "double-liberal" attitude was new to France.

Macron won the 2017 election as planned, with the support of centrist voters on both sides, who united behind a liberal, pro-European president. But after five years in power, his supporters have shifted to the right and he faces deep disappointment with voters on the left, the BBC said.

Macron has created many jobs and spent billions to support workers and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, and to subsidize gas and gasoline prices in France over the past six months.

Yet, he is a firm believer that economic reform to liberalize businesses and demand more from workers is the way to alleviate poverty and fund the social policies advocated by left-wing voters. Rather than ending old political and class divisions, this approach has given rise to them again.

 

United & Strong

The Financial Times stressed that Macron, who is currently 44, is still full of energy, ambition, and ideas. He believes he has a mission to reconcile his country's fractured society and continue to reform the economy while returning France and Europe to their rightful place in terms of strategic, industrial, and cultural importance in the world.

The newspaper added that Macron will need his supporters to win the National Assembly (parliament) elections in June to govern effectively, and he will face a country where only a minority wholeheartedly supports his liberal international outlook.

The guardian stated that Macron will use his victory to advance his push for a bigger defense project in the European Union, closer cooperation on immigration, and more regulation to counter the weight of tech giants like Google. France holds the rotating presidency of the European Council until the end of June.

In an interview with Al-Estiklal, the Researcher at Sabahattin Zaim University Soumia Rahali said:  “Political issues highlighted by Macron's opponents during the election campaign suddenly seemed less relevant when European cities were attacked by Russia and millions of Ukrainian civilians were seeking refuge in their European Union neighbors.”

Rahali added: “The Russian attack on Ukraine was an opportunity for the French president to avoid talking about crucial concerns of the French citizens. Such as the economic and social policies and the rising cost of living. His focus was on the idea of how to make France strong and integrated with its surroundings.”

The American expert on politics Ian Bremer stated that Marine Le Pen represented Putin's best card to divide the West.

 

Napoleon Style

The BBC stressed that during the election the uncertainty and doubt prevailed, and the voters were confused about who will be worse for France: the far-right leader who talks about change or the centrist leader who doesn't listen.

Even before he was first elected, Alain Minc predicted Macron would be "too authoritarian, too political, too presidential". Five years later even Mink says the president's style is "too Napoleon".

Emmanuel Macron has spent the past two weeks courting his critics, backing away from pension reform plans and vowing to put the environment at the center of his agenda.

His re-election, after running the country for five years, is a huge success, says Minc. "I hope the massive success does not increase his confidence. I hope he will change, but I doubt it."