Hussein Shobokshi
THE general elections in France are finally over and many heaved a sigh of relief!
France chose to live in a moderate and coexistence manner and decided not to vote for extremism and racism. Europe won and the bid for secession lost.
Now the question that weighs on every French citizen’s mind is whether they should be happy, cheerful and celebrate the victory that was achieved by President-elect Macron or should they still have fear, anxiety and panic that far-right candidate Marie Le Pen succeeded in getting more than thirty percent of the votes and she forced her way into the second round.
The growth of the extremist voice and its reach into the mainstream parties of France’s political arena after a long time, away from the traditional political context, was always considered an abnormal and strange movement. But it is changing now. France is now in a state of self-revision and is looking at itself in the political mirror at length. It is in the midst of a profound review of how to respond to extremism and fanaticism which is growing in a country that seeks freedom, defends rights and protects the minorities.
The French, by their nature, are people with two contradictory circumstances; a sustainable state of supremacy, high pride in its heritage, culture, arts, literature and French laws that are considered to be a credit to the world from the United States to the Third World countries. On the other hand, how the French influence evaporated as the Anglo-Saxon culture in the form of British-American power pulled the carpet completely under the feet of French culture that had engulfed France.
France, which was believed to be the protector of rights and freedom in the world, handed over the baton to the United States of America. France, which was also assumed to be the face of Europe, was forced to hand over the honor to Germany, which now leads the European countries politically, economically and culturally in the old continent, is undisputable.
It is a changing world and France is unable to stop this change. So it resorted to electing a romantic candidate in an attempt to create an emotional story of a new political hero. It offers its own version of John Kennedy, the former president of the United States, or Justin Trudeau, the current prime minister of Canada. The two hold great values and principles that testify themselves and have made their times an example of love to people’s consensus.
France has chosen a nicest, gentlest, idealistic and safest manner. It needs to reassure itself from fears of more stalemates in its situation. But is this electoral verdict final and turning point away from extremism and racism?
The figures say that there is a new and real “radical” bloc that has become a reality in French society and the world has to accept it as part of the renewed French identity.
Macron won the presidency. His job is not only to govern the country but to reassure its people that he would prevent the increasingly brutal assaults on the traditional French character. France is in a state of undeniable social and political confusion.
