Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 25 april 2017

Old-guard rallies around newcomer Macron for French runoff

ANGELA CHARLTON risk, it is not possible to re-
ELAINE GANLEY main silent or to take ref-
Associated Press uge in indifference,” he
PARIS (AP) — France’s es- said.
tablished parties are rally- Voters narrowed the
ing around the man who French presidential field
helped shut them out of from 11 to two in Sunday’s
the presidential runoff, first-round vote, and losers
maverick centrist Emman- from across the spectrum
uel Macron — an alliance called on their supporters
of convenience aimed at to choose Macron in round
keeping far-right Marine Le two. Only the defeated
Pen out of the Elysee Pal- far-left candidate, Jean-
ace. Luc Melenchon, pointedly
Support for Macron also refused to back Macron.
poured in Monday from the The contest is widely seen
seat of the European Union, as a litmus test for the pop-
as well as German Chan- ulist wave that last year
cellor Angela Merkel and prompted Britain to vote to
Jewish and Muslim groups leave the European Union
troubled by Le Pen’s na- and U.S. voters to elect
tionalist vision. Donald Trump president.
European stock markets Le Pen, meanwhile, is hop-
surged, and France’s main French centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, center, next to Mourad Franck Papa- ing to peel away voters
index hit its highest level zian, left, co-president of France’s Armenian Organizations Coordination Council (CCAF), speaks historically opposed to her
to the press after a ceremony marking 102nd anniversary of the slaying of Armenians by Ottoman
since early 2008, as inves- Turks in a brief ceremony, Monday April 24, 2017 in Paris. Macron, a centrist with pro-business, National Front Party, long
tors gambled that the rise pro-European views, will face far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the May 7 runoff of the presidential tainted by racism and anti-
of populism around the election. Semitism.
world — and its associ- (Lionel Bonaventure, Pool via AP) On Monday, she took a
ated unpredictability in no guarantee that the Politicians on the moder- for Macron, his former step in that direction, an-
policymaking — may have French will come together ate left and right, including economy minister, be- nouncing she was tem-
peaked. to stop Le Pen the way they French President Francois cause Le Pen represents porarily stepping down as
For all the paeans to Ma- stopped her father, Jean- Hollande and the losing “both the danger of the party leader, a move that
cron’s unifying vision in di- Marie Le Pen, from reach- Socialist and Republican isolation of France and of appeared to be aimed at
vided times, it is now up ing the presidency in 2002. party candidates in Sun- rupture with the European drawing a wider range of
to French voters to decide France’s divided political day’s first-round vote, ma- Union.” potential voters and was
whether to entrust him with mainstream, rejected by neuvered to block Le Pen’s Hollande said the far-right in keeping with her efforts
this nuclear-armed nation an angry electorate, unit- path to power. would “deeply divide in recent years to garner
in the May 7 presidential ed Monday to urge voters In a solemn address from France” at a time when the broader support from the
runoff. Polls consider him to back Macron and reject the Elysee palace, Hol- terror threat requires soli- left and right.
the front-runner but that’s Le Pen’s far-right agenda. lande said he would vote darity. “Faced with such a “Tonight, I am no longer
the president of the Na-
UKIP seeks ban on face-covering veils, new Muslim schools tional Front. I am the presi-
dential candidate,” she
said on French public tele-
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s law and on wearing face- oline Lucas accused UKIP leader Paul Nuttall has so vision news, adding that
anti-EU U.K. Independence covering veils in public, and of “full-throttled Islamopho- far declined to say whether she wanted to be “above
Party says it will promote so- a call for the prosecution of bia.” he will run for Parliament in partisan considerations.”
cial unity by banning face- parents of girls subjected to UKIP played a major role in June’s election. National Front party offi-
covering veils and barring female genital mutilation. Britain’s decision last year Polls give Prime Minister cials also joined the cho-
the opening of new Islam- Whittle also said there to leave the EU but is strug- Theresa May’s Conserva- rus, noting that a vote for
ic schools. The right-wing should be a moratorium on gling to remain relevant tives a big lead on the main Le Pen would be a natural
party on Monday unveiled Islamic faith schools “until now that it has achieved its Labour opposition and move for those fed up with
what it calls an “integration there is far better integra- main goal. other parties in an election the status quo.
agenda” ahead of Britain’s tion of the entire Muslim UKIP’s only lawmaker in likely to be dominated by “The voters who voted for
June 8 election. community.” the House of Commons re- Britain’s decision to leave Mr. Melenchon are angry
It includes bans on Sharia Green Party lawmaker Car- cently quit the party. UKIP the EU.q voters. q