Never before in the six-decade history of the Fifth Republic have French voters so thoroughly rejected establishment parties. In this new political reality, only one thing is certain: There are no certainties.
The pollsters, at least, are likely relieved by the results of the first round of the French presidential election. They managed to predict — one is tempted to say, for once — the outcome of the vote: The runoff will see Emmanuel Macron going up against Marine Le Pen.
Yet despite months of surveys forecasting a Le Pen victory in the first round, Macron actually emerged on top. According to preliminary results on Monday morning, the right-wing populist Le Pen managed 21.4 percent against Macron’s 23.9 percent. It was a narrow victory, but a victory nonetheless.
As predictable as it turned out to be, though, it wasn’t all that long ago that the mere thought of Macron, the 39-year-old former economy minister, emerging victorious seemed absurd. At the beginning of his campaign, he was mercilessly mocked. His movement En Marche, which hundreds of thousands of people joined within mere months of its founding, is barely one year old.
“In one year, we have changed the political landscape of our country,” said a visibly moved Macron on Sunday night. And he is right. He managed to achieve the unprecedented.
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