For those in France who thought that the last election had returned France to its socialist roots, the same should take a close look at the latest polls.
Notwithstanding the French tradition of democracy, 2 out of 3 French people now seem to support the far right part, Front National, known for its vitriolic opposition to immigration, and to Muslim presence in the nation. At least that's what appears to be the message sent up by the first round of eliminations in the French pre-elections.
The far right party has a shocking 50% lead in the run up to the March 2014 election, a devastating quota.
The candidate of the Front National, Laurent Lopez, took 40% of the vote in the first round of by-election, with his party garnering 49.5% of the total vote. Another far right party, called Parti de France, took an additional 9.1%.
The UMP, the centre right party came in second with 20.8. The socialist party, lead by candidate Laurent Carratala only got 14.6%. The socialist party is the party currently ruling in France.
In substance, the left leaning party has been erased from the campaign. All they can do now is to throw their efforts towards the UMP, the centre right party, to avoid a collusion of the two extreme right parties and hopefully avoid the hard right change that the elections could bring.
It is true that low voter turnout might have precipitated the crisis, and the elimination of the socialists from the final vote. This low turnout is an unfortunate symptom of complacency on the part of the French citizens, which the far right party has not failed to seize.
The UMP has suffered both from the scandal of Sarkozy's trial, which has just liberated him from the accusations of election fraud, and the fact that he was seen as an extension of US influence in France. The left also soured from Hollande's lackluster performance.
With pressing problems of immigration, and economic faultlines looming in the future, the French citizens seem to secretly harbor a desire to steer the country back to a very dark time. What could belie this hard right turn, is nothing more than xenophobia, and the fear that further immigration could destabilize an economy which is showing signs of a slowdown.
Almost all European countries are becoming divided along the same faultlines: economy and immigration.
The far right Front National is already crowing. Notwithstanding the fact that their 'majority vote' does not represent a true expression of the population's vote, since only less than a third voted, they are representing themselves as the 'winning' party, claiming that the other parties, both centre and socialist party, have been abandoned by the voters.
Apathy engenders turmoil, and change that is unseen. If the French people do not react to the stunning defeat of the socialist party by throwing their support towards the Centre right party, the UMP, France could truly become a marginalized country, much like Hungary. That would also mean the loss of true the French identity and legacy, the one that has seen it through thick and thin for decades, successfully.
Op-Ed
Partial Source : France 24/ 10.07.13
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