2017 French Presidential Election Results – Macron

Text and images by Chen Chi-Hsiang. The election of 39-year-old centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron as the eighth president of France’s Fifth Republic, defeating National Front’s far-right Marine Le Pen with 66.1% to 33.9%, was hardly surprising. Most voters and the entire EU feared the far right, leaving no other choice but him. The political landscape favored this youngest president, supported by all major and minor news media, political commentary magazines, entertainment publications, and nearly all political parties. It is hard to imagine that even the pro-French Communist CGT union and anti-capitalist Philippe Poutou aligned with neoliberalism, while the far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon bit his tongue, failing to endorse anyone and fading away calmly.

This presidential election saw an unprecedented abstention rate of 25.38%, the highest since 1969. Additionally, according to the French Ministry of the Interior, blank and invalid ballots also set records, accounting for 11.5% of registered voters. Some jokingly called it a "vote with tears." Anne Jadot, a political science professor at the University of Lorraine, told AFP: "This means one in three French people decided not to choose between the two candidates. For a presidential election, that number is truly high." Wisely protesting against the globalized spokespersons of neoliberal capitalists and the far-right National Front, we bless the newly elected president, Macron, whose future concerns France itself. The harsh challenges begin now. Under the magic spell of neoliberalism, please remember the new president’s campaign promises. Time will reveal if they are the emperor’s new clothes; we will see in five years. "Bon courageux Mr président."