En Marche! The Much-Needed Rise of Emmanuel Macron

With 100 percent of the vote counted, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen are through to the French election run-offs. They garnered 24 and 21.3 percent of the vote, respectively, narrowly ahead of François Fillon (20 percent) and Jean-Luc Mélenchon (19.6 percent.) The major parties in French politics received just 27 percent of the vote, a disappointing result for them. The most shocking thing about this French election, however, is the rise of Macron. 

Macron started his own party, titled En Marche! and was met with tremendous success. Prior to his presidential bid, Macron served as the country’s minister of economy. His main agenda in his role under current president François Hollande was to cut red tape and free France’s market. Before his federal position, Macron entered into the investment business with little prior knowledge. Nonetheless, he earned 3.1 million dollars in four years at his firm and was promoted to managing director. 

His self-created political party and arguably centrist platform appealed to many French voters, sharply contrasting Le Pen’s nationalist and inflammatory policies. He is pro-European Union and his focuses seem to revolve around streamlining France’s economy, entitlement programs and education. He also promises a return to the true meaning of French secularism, freedom of religion in contrast to Le Pen’s advocacy for freedom from religion. He has promised to allow Muslim headscarves in schools and university as well as the enforcement of gender equality. Macron recognizes the importance of religious tolerance, unlike his rival who tweeted the following: “Islamism is a monstrous ideology which has declared war on our nation, on reason, on civilization.” It seems as though Ms. Le Pen lives in ignorance of the true values of the world’s second largest religion, yet 21.3 percent of French voters find her to be a suitable candidate for president. She also vows to reevaluate France’s position in the EU, implying a possible exit from the European community and the Eurozone.

Preceding the first round of the election, Paris was hit by the third terrorist attack in the past two years. A man armed with an automatic weapon shot three police officers, killing one instantly, on the Champs-Élysées. The others were severely injured. Two days prior, authorities arrested two men in Marseille after finding explosives, weapons and Islamic State flags in their apartment, suggesting an imminent attack. Leading up to Sunday, the attack was predicted to boost Le Pen’s votes, though Macron maintained a slight edge. The run-off election on May 7 will determine whether the French people are swayed by fear-mongering candidates or reasonable ones.

In response to concerns about future security of the country, in light of its recent history of vicious terror attacks, Macron proposes bolstering the ranks of police officers and creating a united domestic anti-terrorism unit. The only wrinkles in his security plan are a proposed increase in defense budget and Macron’s openness to a military intervention in Syria. He plans to raise military spending from 1.8 percent of GDP to 2 percent, though there are no assurances the money will spent effectively. Furthermore, Macron should definitely be warier of intervening in a civil war with a myriad of foreign backers and foggy alliances. 

Stock markets reacted positively to Macron’s lead in the first round and projected win in the second. Investors seem to favor a sensible candidate that knows the risks of abruptly exiting from a common currency system and has a record of success in the financial sector. French pollsters, well known for their accuracy, predict Macron will seize the presidency with at least 62 percent of the vote. If he wins by a narrower margin, he will be hard pressed to project an image of a unified France. Following the first round election results, Marine Le Pen stepped aside as leader of the National Front party in an effort to portray herself as a candidate for the French people rather than a political party.

For those that would avoid the Continent being razed by harmful ideologies and intolerance, Emmanuel Macron is the best chance for a re-unified Europe and better France. En Marche!