“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” — George Jean Nathan
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When I vote, I vote for my candidate… or for the lesser of two evils.
I never abstain. To me, abstaining is not an indication of protest; it is more a sign of “laissez-faire”, letting things take their own course.
Basically, it means abdicating responsibilities and giving free rein to extremists.
As you may know, this weekend the French will vote again in the second round of the presidential election.
The two finalists are Far Right Marine Le Pen (National Front) and centrist Emmanuel Macron (Onward).
Macron is thought to prevail. If he does, he will be the youngest president ever in the French history. But, “les jeux ne sont pas faits. »
If I had to define a Frenchman by a single word, I would call him “cabochard” (pigheaded), one who will do as he pleases. And a cabochard is more inclined to let feelings prevail over rationality.
Marine Le Pen (48) succeeded her father Jean-Marie Le Pen who founded the National Front in 1972. Over the years she has struggled to bring respectability to a party that was mainly known for its thuggish, fascist ways.
She partly succeeded, mainly by tapping the anger of the unemployed and a general fear of immigration and terrorism. If elected she vowed to pull out of the euro currency and apply major restrictions to the Schengen Agreement (free movement across European borders).
Emmanuel Macron (39), a former investment banker appeals to many by a moderate rhetoric, plans to lower taxes, reform work laws and expand health care. He also supports the open-door policy toward immigrants and tolerance towards Muslims.
In a France polarized by the fear of immigration, this could be his undoing.
He was briefly Minister of the Economy under Francois Hollande, where he pushed through business-friendly reforms, notably the right to work on weekends. He showed early grit by vowing at 17 to marry his schoolteacher (who was 24 older than he is) and by going through with his promise.
The results of this vote are extremely important because they will determine the fate of the European Union. If the candidate of the Far Right succeeds, it could spell the end of the Union, a renewal of divisive Extreme Right policies all over Europe and have worldwide implications.
It is hoped by many that this weekend won’t be a replay of the 2016 American elections scenario.
Alain
“Since the people vote against the government, the people must be dissolved.” Bertold Brecht.