Voters to Far Right: "Thou Shall Not Pass!"
- 8 years ago
"Sixty million Frenchmen can't be wrong", proclaims a popular book title. But just over six million far-right Front National voters can be wrong - very wrong - as France's regional elections just proved, writes France 24's Douglas Herbert.
They huffed. And they puffed.
And for a watchful, week-long interlude, it looked like the National Front leader, Marine Le Pen, and her faithful foot soldiers just might blow France's Republican house down.
On the morning after the second and final round of the country's regional elections, France is breathing a collective sigh of relief at the electoral drubbing inflicted on an extreme-right party that pandered to voters' basest fears about security, immigration and the post-November 13 terror threat.
After winning six of 13 regions in the first round of elections a week ago, the Frontists were routed in Sunday's final-verdict balloting, failing to carry a single region.
“Thou shall not pass!”
In a Gandalf-style display of defiance, voters from across France's political spectrum sent a thundering ultimatum to the Le Pen clan - to Aunt Marine, to her strident young niece, Marion, and to all the rest: "Thou shall not pass!"
When push came to shove in the final round, French voters flocked to the polls in droves to stop the far-right's advance in its tracks.
Abstentionism was blamed by many for the National Front's strong showing in the first round.
In Sunday's vote, turnout jumped by about nine percent, to just under 59 percent, as voters awakened to the heightened stakes.
To be sure, the National Front's shellacking had less to do with voters' sudden passion for the mainstream left and right parties, and more to do with finely tuned tactical politics and visceral fear - esp... Go on reading on our web site.
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They huffed. And they puffed.
And for a watchful, week-long interlude, it looked like the National Front leader, Marine Le Pen, and her faithful foot soldiers just might blow France's Republican house down.
On the morning after the second and final round of the country's regional elections, France is breathing a collective sigh of relief at the electoral drubbing inflicted on an extreme-right party that pandered to voters' basest fears about security, immigration and the post-November 13 terror threat.
After winning six of 13 regions in the first round of elections a week ago, the Frontists were routed in Sunday's final-verdict balloting, failing to carry a single region.
“Thou shall not pass!”
In a Gandalf-style display of defiance, voters from across France's political spectrum sent a thundering ultimatum to the Le Pen clan - to Aunt Marine, to her strident young niece, Marion, and to all the rest: "Thou shall not pass!"
When push came to shove in the final round, French voters flocked to the polls in droves to stop the far-right's advance in its tracks.
Abstentionism was blamed by many for the National Front's strong showing in the first round.
In Sunday's vote, turnout jumped by about nine percent, to just under 59 percent, as voters awakened to the heightened stakes.
To be sure, the National Front's shellacking had less to do with voters' sudden passion for the mainstream left and right parties, and more to do with finely tuned tactical politics and visceral fear - esp... Go on reading on our web site.
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en