2017 French presidential election

2017 French presidential election was a significant event in the history of France, marking a shift in the country's political landscape. The election was held on April 23 and May 7, with Emmanuel Macron of En Marche! and Marine Le Pen of the National Front emerging as the top two candidates. The election saw a high turnout, with many French people exercising their right to vote, as guaranteed by the French Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The candidates campaigned on various issues, including the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations, with some, like Jean-Luc Mélenchon of La France Insoumise, advocating for a more socialist approach, while others, like François Fillon of The Republicans, promoted a more conservative agenda.

Background

The 2017 French presidential election was preceded by a series of events, including the Charlie Hebdo shooting and the November 2015 Paris attacks, which highlighted the need for strong counter-terrorism measures, as discussed by United Nations Security Council and the European Council. The election also followed the Brexit referendum, which saw the United Kingdom vote to leave the European Union, leading to concerns about the future of the EU and the eurozone, as expressed by Angela Merkel, European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund. The French Socialist Party had been in power since the 2012 French presidential election, with François Hollande as President of France, but the party's popularity had declined, paving the way for new candidates, such as Benoît Hamon and Manuel Valls, to emerge. The election was also marked by the rise of populist movements, with candidates like Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon gaining significant support, as seen in the 2014 European Parliament election and the 2015 French regional elections.

Candidates

The 2017 French presidential election saw a diverse range of candidates, including Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen, François Fillon, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and Benoît Hamon. Emmanuel Macron, a former Minister of the Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs, ran as the candidate for En Marche!, a centrist party he founded in 2016, with the support of Christine Lagarde and the International Monetary Fund. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front, campaigned on a nationalist and anti-immigration platform, as seen in her speeches at the European Parliament and the United Nations General Assembly. François Fillon, a former Prime Minister of France, ran as the candidate for The Republicans, with the support of Nicolas Sarkozy and the European People's Party. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a former Minister of Professional Education, ran as the candidate for La France Insoumise, a left-wing party, with the support of Die Linke and the European Left. Benoît Hamon, a former Minister of National Education, ran as the candidate for the French Socialist Party, with the support of Martine Aubry and the Party of European Socialists.

Campaign

The campaign for the 2017 French presidential election was marked by intense debate and controversy, with candidates clashing on issues like immigration, terrorism, and the economy, as discussed by The Economist, Financial Times, and Le Monde. Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen emerged as the front-runners, with François Fillon and Jean-Luc Mélenchon also gaining significant support, as seen in the opinion polls conducted by IFOP and BVA Group. The campaign was also marked by the use of social media, with candidates like Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen using Twitter and Facebook to reach voters, as reported by The New York Times and BBC News. The European Union and the NATO were also major topics of discussion, with some candidates, like Marine Le Pen, advocating for a more isolationist approach, while others, like Emmanuel Macron, promoted a more pro-European agenda, as expressed by Donald Tusk and the European Commission.

Results

The results of the 2017 French presidential election saw Emmanuel Macron emerge as the winner, with Marine Le Pen coming in second, as announced by the French Ministry of the Interior and the Constitutional Council of France. Emmanuel Macron won the election with 66.1% of the vote, while Marine Le Pen received 33.9%, as reported by Reuters and Agence France-Presse. The election saw a high turnout, with 75.3% of eligible voters casting their ballots, as reported by the French National Assembly and the Senate of France. The results were seen as a significant victory for Emmanuel Macron and his party, En Marche!, which had been founded just a year earlier, with the support of Christine Lagarde and the International Monetary Fund.

Aftermath

The aftermath of the 2017 French presidential election saw Emmanuel Macron sworn in as the new President of France, with Édouard Philippe as his Prime Minister of France, as reported by Le Figaro and Libération. The election marked a significant shift in the French political landscape, with the traditional parties, like the French Socialist Party and The Republicans, losing ground to newer parties, like En Marche! and La France Insoumise, as analyzed by The Guardian and Der Spiegel. The election also had significant implications for the European Union and the NATO, with Emmanuel Macron promoting a more pro-European agenda, as expressed by Angela Merkel and the European Commission. The election was also seen as a victory for centrism and moderation, with Emmanuel Macron's victory being hailed as a defeat for populism and extremism, as reported by The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. Category:2017 elections