Has France Really Rejected Populism?
Beneath the surface of France’s first-round presidential election results is a potential coalition that should give pause to those celebrating the supposed triumph of liberal democracy. Even if the French electorate rejects anti-establishment policies this time around, today's large minority could become tomorrow's majority.
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CAMBRIDGE – The liberal West heaved a collective sigh of relief when the results of the first round of the French presidential election came in. After leading in the polls for weeks, Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front ended up in second place, while Emmanuel Macron, a centrist political independent, finished first. Macron, the fresh face of Europe’s democratic center at just 39 years old, is expected to prevail handily in the second-round runoff on May 7.