After days of staggered voting, the results are in today for both France and Europe. With some surprises:
– At 50.13% participation in France far exceeded expectations. Hooray!
– ‘Rural’, a category assumed to be more Euro-skeptic, turned out more strongly than ‘urban.’
– That said, the pro-European center can be considered to have held together here, despite many commentators’ hand-wringing. Granted, Le Pen’s list did edge out the government’s by about a percentage point, at 23.31%, but the allied Greens achieved an unpredicted surge of 13.47%. You do the math.
– The conservative right and moderate left (PS) fell far, far behind.
Some observers see a new political constellation hardening in France and beyond: the liberal-rightist center vs extremist parties left and right – and foretell the coming demise of democracy as we have known it. However…
– Europe-wide participation, too, was heartening at over 50%, the best showing since 1994.
– Europe-wide, of the 751 seats the extreme right (classifications by Le Monde) took 115, the extreme left 41, and the nationalist right (Hello Victor Urban and friends) 58. More easy math!
That’s the gist. Have a nice day, everyone.
Photo: Rimbaud’s poem, Le Bateau Ivre, carved on a wall in the 6th arondissement.
POINT de VUE: PARIS 
Crystal-clear as always Ka. Merci. The worst seems to have been avoided. The key post of the president of the Commission has yet to be filled. And I can’t say current candidates are overwhelming.
In fact, I still think there is no vision for Europe. Anywhere. (There is no vision for France really, either). And without a vision, all is left in the hands of the accountants.
PS: Le Bateau Ivre, yes! I love that wall. And that poem!
Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles,
Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs :
Des Peaux-Rouges criards les avaient pris pour cibles,
Les ayant cloués nus aux poteaux de couleurs.
Bonne semaine.
True, it’s not a disaster, but momentum in that direction could increase if the Englanders install their Trump, Boris Johnson, as PM. Also discouraged that Fraud #2, Nigel Farrago, is back in the middle of things. Why didn’t they change the locks while he was out of the picture?
Thank you for this analysis. It clarifies the situation succinctly.
Thanks for reading, Susanna!