What Does Macron's Close Win Say About France's Changing Political Landscape?

His main opponent, Le Pen, won about 41percent of the votes.

Podcast on French Presidential Elections 2022.

(Photo: Deeksha Malhotra/The Quint)

Assured of another five years in office, French President Emmanuel Macron made history on Monday, 25 April, by beating his far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

This was the second straight fight between the two politicians and Le Pen’s third shot at presidency.

But there is something deeply unsettling about these results — how close Le Pen, a long-time standard-bearer for the French far-right, got in terms of vote share with Macron.

Le Pen scored better than she ever has, winning about 41 percent of the votes. The last time she stood for elections, in 2017, she earned around 34 percent.

What is also striking about the result is the abstention rate of this elections, which at 28 percent is a slight increase from its level in 2017 but also the highest for a final round of vote since 1969.

The nature of these results raises the question: if these voting trends continue, is France walking on a dangerous path towards electing a far-right president in the next election?

To break down the election results and their significance, we speak to senior journalist and columnist Nabanita Sircar.