Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 24 april 2017

Centrist Macron vs. far-right Le Pen in fight to lead France

JOHN LEICESTER 24 percent, giving him a that nothing short of “the
LORI HINNANT slight cushion over Le Pen’s survival of France” will be
Associated Press 22 percent. Fillon, with just at stake in the presiden-
PARIS (AP) — Centrist Em- under 20 percent, was tial runoff.Her supporters
manuel Macron and far- slightly ahead of the far- burst into a rendition of the
right populist Marine Le left’s Jean-Luc Melenchon, French national anthem,
Pen advanced Sunday to who had 19 percent. chanted “We will win!”
a runoff in France’s presi- The euro jumped 2 percent and waved French flags
dential election, remak- to more than $1.09 after and blue flags with “Ma-
ing the country’s political the initial results were an- rine President” on them.
landscape and setting up nounced because Macron France is now steaming
a showdown over its par- has vowed to reinforce into unchartered territory,
ticipation in the European France’s commitments to because whoever wins on
Union. the EU and euro — and May 7 cannot count on
French politicians on the opinion polls give him a big the backing of France’s
left and right immediately lead heading into the sec- political mainstream par-
urged voters to block Le ond round. ties. Even under a consti-
Pen’s path to power in the French centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron While Le Pen faces the run- tution that concentrates
May 7 runoff, saying her thumbs up as he addresses his supporters at his election day off as the underdog, it’s power in the president’s
headquarters in Paris , Sunday April 23, 2017.
virulently nationalist anti-EU Associated Press already stunning that she hands, both Macron and
and anti-immigration poli- there is no other choice sions of the EU’s future and brought her once-taboo Le Pen will need legislators
tics would spell disaster for than to vote against the France’s place in it. It sets party so close to the Ely- in parliament to pass laws
France. extreme right.” up a battle between Ma- see Palace. She hopes to and implement much of
“Extremism can only bring The selection of Le Pen cron’s optimistic vision of win over far-left and other their programs.France’s
unhappiness and division and Macron presents vot- a tolerant France and a voters angry at the global legislative election in June
to France,” defeated con- ers with the starkest pos- united Europe with open elite and distrustful of the now takes on a vital im-
servative candidate Fran- sible choice between two borders against Le Pen’s untested Macron. portance, with huge ques-
cois Fillon said. “As such, diametrically opposed vi- darker, inward-looking With a wink at his cheer- tions about whether Le
“French-first” platform that ing, flag-waving supporters Pen and even the more
calls for closed borders, who yelled “We will win!” in moderate Macron will be
tougher security, less immi- his election day headquar- able to rally sufficient law-
gration and dropping the ters in Paris, Macron prom- makers to their causes.In
shared euro currency to ised to be a president “who Paris, protesters angry at
return to the French franc. protects, who transforms Le Pen’s advance — some
With Le Pen wanting and builds” if elected. from anarchist and anti-
France to leave the EU “You are the faces of fascist groups — scuffled
and Macron wanting even French hope,” he said. His with police. Officers fired
closer cooperation among wife, Brigitte, joined him on tear gas to disperse the
the bloc’s 28 nations, Sun- stage before his speech rowdy crowd. Two people
day’s outcome means the — the only couple among were injured and police
May 7 runoff will have un- the leading candidates to detained three people
dertones of a referendum do so Sunday night. as demonstrators burned
on France’s EU member- Le Pen, in a chest-thump- cars, danced around bon-
ship. ing speech to cheering fires and dodged riot po-
The absence in the runoff supporters, declared that lice. At a peaceful protest
of candidates from either she embodies “the great by around 300 people at
the mainstream left Social- alternative” for French the Place de la Repub-
ists or the right-wing Re- voters. She portrayed her lique some sang “No Ma-
publicans party — the two duel with Macron as a rine and no Macron!” and
main political groups that battle between “patriots” “Now burn your voting
have governed post-war and “wild deregulation” cards.”
France — also marked a — warning of job losses Macron supporters at his
seismic shift in French poli- overseas, mass immigra- election-day headquarters
tics. Macron, a 39-year-old tion straining resources at went wild as polling agen-
investment banker, made home and “the free circu- cy projections showed the
the runoff on the back of a lation of terrorists.” ex-finance minister mak-
grassroots campaign with- “The time has come to ing the runoff, cheering,
out the support of a major free the French people,” singing “La Marseillaise”
political party. she said at her election anthem, waving French tri-
With 90 percent of votes day headquarters in the color and European flags
counted, the Interior Minis- northern French town of and shouting “Macron,
try said Macron had nearly Henin-Beaumont, adding president!”q