The French Election was Sunday, April 24th, 2022 and the West is relieved after learning the results of the election. Current president of France, Emmanuel Macron, retained the presidency as he won 58.6 percent of the vote to Marine Le Pen’s 41.5 percent.
The West, and the United States in particular, has been worried for weeks about the prospect of Le Pen winning in France. Le Pen is a far-right candidate in French politics and has been avidly against the European Union and NATO and has previously praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.
United States President Joe Biden congratulated Macron and called France, “our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also celebrated the victory as a “true friend of Ukraine” won out. European Council President Charles Michel summed up the mood in the west with a tweet, “In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe.”
Despite the relief the west is still worried about how good Le Pen did in the election. She won around 13 million votes, the largest by a far-right candidate in history. The prospect of a far-right, nationalistic politics in France and Europe is growing and that concerns the United States and the European Union, as they look to solidify Europe and keep NATO together. With the war in Ukraine, the rising gas prices, and the environmental crisis on the hands of us, a solid Europe is needed to maintain social order and peace.
The current president, Biden, backs the French president, Emmanuel Macron as his ideas allign more with the views he holds. Le Pen’s politics were seen as too nationalistic, xenophobic, and far-right.