The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017.France's victorious Macron reminded of huge, immediate challenges
By Michel Rose and John Irish PARIS©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
17 Comments
Login to comment
Strangerland
Unlike Trump, Macron was actually chosen by the people.
CrazyJoe
Quite simply
The French didn't fall for a line of BS like the Americans did.
The reason that the Alt Right populism only seems to achieve power in the Anglo sphere is because both American's and the English believe in the myth of their own exceptionalism.
It is that false belief in their exceptionalism that some very shrewd people have used to manipulate working class people to support a political ideology that works against their interests.
pacint
Maybe they spoiled them because neither candidate was appealing to them.
wtfjapan
Over 30% of voters thought it better to spoil their ballots rather than cast a vote for him. Macron got 65% of the 65% voter turnout, thats 42.2% of the total french voters that voted for him. Trump managed only
42% of 55%, thats 23% of voters that voted for Trump. Unlike Trump, Macron had the highest support rate of any candidate and the popular support of his people, Trump didnt.
goldorak
Didn't take long did it. I can't stand French unions and think they are partially responsible for the situation France is in. They have a massive sense of entitlement and do not have the best interests of the nation, and its workers, at heart.
Bunch of short sighted fools who've destroyed the country.
PTownsend
He's the elected leader of a democracy. The margin of victory does not have an effect on his duties and responsibilities to his nation's people. Constant criticism (lack of understanding of democracy?) of democratic institutions by rightwingers and authoritarian nationalists is not doing you guys a lot of good, maybe even further weakening your cause.
Citizen2012
Yes, he is the elected leader of a democracy system that does not give different weight to voters depending of their geolocation, 1 voter = 1 vote in France.
Madverts
Indeed comrade. Those of us not living in a Russian style dictatorship are allowed to protest. Even the cranks on the extreme left that think working less gives you more unicorns should be allowed to speak.
All of our Russian contributors seem pretty bitter Putin's candidate got buried. Even the Russian hacking and fake documents were an abject failure on influencing the election. The alt-right movement in Europe is like a horny old dude in a nursing home sans Viagra. It's over....
itsonlyrocknroll
Emmanuel Macron reference in his campaign to fundamental reform of the European Union is essential for the policy cohesion of his Presidency or any hope for the people of France future prosperity.
EU intuition/commission lack of fiscal accountability/discipline need major structural reform to the accounting model, auditing process and structural reform of EMU/single currency.
Sooner rather than later decisions will have to be made into tax and sovereign debt harmonization across the entire euro-zone membership. There are clear labour market imbalances exasperating inequality within southern Europe. Fiscal consolidation had little or no effect on the distribution of income without acceptance to the constricts of monetary union.
Reduction of Germany's current account surplus amoung fellow member states would improve living standards for the vast majority of euro zone citizens. Debt consolidation, tax harmonization, and review of protocols contained in the Maastricht Treaty that tied national governments to deficits of 3% of GDP. However the lack of clear auditable proven economic convergence has stoked severe unemployment, economic depression, and in the case of Greece chaotic social unrest.
Politically........
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker put it bluntly: "With France, we have a particular problem ... The French spend too much money and they spend too much in the wrong places. This will not work over time."......European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has barked his opinion when no elected government asked for it!!!!
German Chancellor Angela Merkel German government overwhelming political and economic dominance is ruthlessly clear, and the reasoning why Emmanuel Macron will struggle to cope with the huge challenges ahead. His ally is the UK government, if he did but know it.
"He carries the hopes of millions of French people, and of many people in Germany and the whole of Europe," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a news conference in Berlin. "He ran a courageous pro-European campaign, stands for openness to the world and is committed decisively to a social market economy," the EU's most powerful leader added, congratulating Macron on his "spectacular" election success.
But even while pledging to help France tackle unemployment, Merkel rejected suggestions Germany should do more to support Europe's economy by importing more from its partners to bring down its big trade surplus.
Wakarimasen
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a news conference in Berlin."He ran a courageous pro-European campaign, stands for openness to the world and is committed decisively to a social market economy," the EU's most powerful leader added, congratulating Macron on his "spectacular" election success
why standing for the EU is "courageous" is anyone's guess. He has 15% and more youth unemployment, a stagnant economy, 54% of GDP is government spending/taxes, a migrant problem and no political party of his own in parliament.
uphill battle feels like.
Bill Murphy
First, the breakdown of the vote was roughly this:
Macron: 20 million votes (45%)
"abstaining"*: 15 million votes (33%)
Le Pen: 10 million votes (22%)
meaning unknownMacron won. No doubts. Nothing to contest.
Next, to paraphrase PTownsend: Trump's the elected leader of a democracy. The margin of victory does not have an effect on his duties and responsibilities to his nation's people. Constant criticism (lack of understanding of democracy?) of democratic institutions by leftwingers and authoritarian anarchists is not doing those guys a lot of good, maybe even further weakening their cause.
pacint
1500 wow such a huge demonstration. NOT.
8T
Macron and Ivanka make a good couple don't you think?
Fred Wallace
Different electoral systems. I'm still amused at how the alt left parrots this line as if it's supposed to change the outcome. Unhappy? Change the constitution then!!
Fred Wallace
Same could be said of the alt left and it's embarrassing obsession with trump.