After the
unexpected win of Donald Trump in United States, the elections scheduled in
different European countries are getting more attention, as the growing socio-economic
crisis has provided fresh wind to the extreme right wing parties and has
multiplied their desire to attain the centre of power. However, in recently
concluded Netherlands election, the extreme right party could not achieve the estimated
pre-poll success. But it will keep its presence felt in the National
Parliament. The situation in France is
particularly confusing where the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments are
on rise, and in the same time, one can witness a number of conflicting issues
taking the front seat of the election campaign notably a striking division
between rich and poor, resulting into gradual decrease of purchasing capacity
of common people and diminution of public service system, and on the other
hand, Brexit has instilled the idea in people’s mind that the European Union
and Globalisation are failing. The sentiment of Nation State and protection of
its boundary is growing day-by-day.
This
forthcoming presidential election in unprecedented in its nature. This is the
first time in the fifth Republic of France that an incumbent president is not
seeking re-election at the end his first term in the office. In 2012, the
French electorate had awarded a significant victory to the Socialist Party
candidate Francois Holland, being fade-up with 5 years of Bling-Bling
presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy. Francois
Holland promised to undertake a large number of economic and social reforms,
such as improvement of public service system by increasing recruitment in
education and health sectors, therefore not to follow the German policy of
austerity to get hold on budget deficit. Therefore, he proposed taxing rich up
to 75% of their revenue, increasing tax on heritage, and slashing down
bureaucratic expenses to fill the State coffer finally to balance the budgetary
discrepancies. He also guarantied to put end of job cuts in private sector and
obscene practice of handing out golden parachute to the top management bosses.
But, from
the beginning, things didn’t happen as it should be. Holland’s declaration of
taxing rich send a red signal among that particular class, many left the
country. But very soon, it became clear that Holland is no Hugo Chavez, his
words on taxing rich was not even rhetoric, rather impulsive. The government
proposed a package of 40 billions euros to the syndicate of corporate bosses
under the pact of mutual accountability to create 200 000 employments. They took the
money, but the jobs were not created. Big companies continued shutting down
plants to shift their productions in foreign locations. Finally, the present
administration succumbed more to the pressure of corporate to withdraw the
social protection of employees to make them more vulnerable and exposed to
exploitation.
And number
of international issues like Arab Spring, civil war in Lybia, Syria and Iraq
and old French colonies in Africa brought a constant flow of refugees adding
additional pressure on public service and infrastructure.
And the
increasing number of attacks perpetrated by home-grown and foreign Islamist
terrorists have also unveiled the problem of integration of youngest generation
of migrant families originated from old French colonies predominantly Muslims
in the French society. Deepening mistrust is furthermore fracturing the country
on a religious line taking into account that France contains the largest number
of Muslims in Europe, nearly 7.5% of its over all population of 65 millions.
Therefore,
Francois Holland is such a low public approval rate, below 20%, which pushed
him to abandon his bid for a second term.
Thus, the
present presidential election becomes very symbolic in a sense that for the
first time in the electoral history of the fifth French Republic since its
instauration on 4th October 1958, there is no one either to protect
or to challenge the outcome of last five years presidential rule.
11 candidates, 4 neck and neck on the first
round of election on 23rd April, and the first two contenders will
remain in the battle on 7th May
The
leit-motif of this year’s election can be summarised in two words -
“anti-system” and “alternative”. None of the candidates seems ready to accept
his or her part of the responsibility in the crisis of present socio, economic
and political system. Everybody blames the existing system. Then who created
it?
The media is
playing its part in the game. In the last week of January 2017, an alternative
weekly journal, “Le Canard Enchaîné” exposed the corruption of the potential
future president, Francois Fillon, the candidate of the Republican Party who
served as the prime minister of 5 years presidential rule of Nicolas
Sarkozy. Surprisingly enough, in his 36
years of political carrier, Fillon had never been accused of corruption, and
known as an honest politician, and won the Republican primary election drawing
on his clean image (over Nicolas Sarkozy and Alain Juppe, both have judicial
history). Since the multiple exposures of fictitious employment of his wife
Penelope as his parliamentary assistant during long years in exchange of
sumptuous salary amounting close to one million euros, the story provoked
public outcry et tool a popular name “Penelope Gate”. Another alternation
online news magazine “Mediapart” disclosed more information on Fillon’s
misdeed, irregular employments to his son et daughter paying very high salary,
the showy role of his legal council firm in international power allies and his
practice of accepting gifts from interest groups. Theses accusations have
dented the image of Francois Fillon significantly who is a stanch promoter of
austerity and public service cuts who plans to abolish 500000 public service
posts and encourage the privatisation of the system to embolden the French
economy. In fact, Fillon was getting
enough support from the mainstream French voters as the process of
“Uberisation” of the French economy is already started by tempting the young
generation to work independently.
But Fillon
continue to reject all accusations denouncing “political vendetta” of the
sitting president Holland and his cabinet, citing that they are trying to pave
the road of victory of Emmanuel Macron, ex deputy consultant of Francois
Holland who became the finance minister in the 2nd government under
his presidency, who resigned from the government in August 2016, to start his
own political movement “ En Marche (Moving On)”, who also served as an
investment banker-director in Rothschild Bank in the past, a young man of 39
years. With no political experience so far, and a political organisation of just 12 months, he championed the politics of neither left nor right not even centrist,
which has seduced an important section of political class and of the
population, and he is heading the opinion poll tightly with 24% equal to the
candidate of National Front, Marine Le Pen, the extreme right party. Her
party’s manifesto is all about protectionism: anti-Europe, anti-immigration,
anti-Muslim, and to make France great again by restoration of national border
and Judeo-Christian belief where abortion and homosexual marriage will be
illegal. The party has garnered considerable support among the rural and
working class population who are the primary victim of poverty after the
globalisation of economy. The National
Front is founded by her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, a colonialist and fascist demagogue, who made it to the 2nd round in presidential election in
2002 upsetting the Socialist Party candidate. The party functions as a dynasty,
and marred by nepotism and corruption. As Fillon, Marine Le Pen is also facing
accusations from European Parliament regarding fictitious employment to her assistant
of the party benefitting from her poste as a member of European Parliament.
On the other, the ruling Socialist party is
completely fractured within, due to ideological conflicts between different
groups, left leaning and the right leaning, and the failure of the present
government to deliver its electoral promises.
In spite of Benoît Hamon’s large victory, a leftist, in the party’s
primary on Manuel Valls, a right leaning politician, who served as Home
Minister and then prime minister under Holland, it is unsuccessful to reunite
itself, taken into account that Benoît Hamon had resigned from his ministerial
portfolio in education with few other minister protesting the nomination of
Manuel Valls as the prime minister.
Therefore, the rapprochement between these two groups inside the party
organisation sitting on opposite poles is next to impossible. And, finally,
last week, during a television interview, Manuel Valls has clearly declared his
support for Emmanuel Macron to avoid all possibility of a second round battle
between Fillon and Le Pen, the right and the extreme right, where one would
have to repeat the same scenario of 2002 ending up voting the lesser evil,
finally making Fillon the president. But
this declaration of Valls has pushed the Socialist Party towards further
disintegration and weakened the candidature of Hamon who is credited around 10%
of vote in the 1st round of election.
But this year election has reserved more surprise after the meteoric
rise of Jean Luc Mélenchon, in recent poll position, the candidate of the movement
“la France Insoumise (Unsubmissive France) ”, closing a dwindling Francois
Fillon with 20% of intended vote in the first round.
Certainly, the Media has played a significant role in it, may be inadvertently.
This is the first time that a television channel having a National Network came
forward with the idea of telecasting a direct debate between all the 11
candidates allotting same amount of time to each of them to present their
programmes et vision for the future of France.
Jean Luc Mélenchon, who is always an outsider through out his political
carrier, served as Minister-Delegate of Vocational Education between
2000 and 2002, under the government of Lionel Jospin,
and was part of the left wing of the Socialist Party until 2008, to found « Parti de Gauche (Left Party) » with
Marc Dolez, at first the president, and
then the co-president of it, along with Martine Billard, until
August 2014, and currently un elected member
of the European Parliament, has proved himself more convincing than others. In
the 2012 presidential election he came
in fourth position receiving 11.1% of the votes.
During this election in particular, the 6 others small candidates are
getting considerable attention from the media. And the social media platforms
have also provided them with the opportunity to express their ideas and
intention of presenting themselves for the top job. And people are listening,
there is a lot at stake, Economic
growth, Economic World War, European Union, French Unity, France of diversity,
Dictatorship of rich, Contempt of class, Revolution, Opportunist class,
Regression of Public service – Job cut, Public credit – Liberation, Corruption,
Religion, Terrorism, Environment.
Who will take charge on 7th May to unite the fractured
society?
- Jayanta Chakrabarty
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