Franceâs Far Right Is Setting the Agenda Because the Mainstream Allows It To
Ahead of the 2022 election, French media are presenting an inevitable duel between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and the "populist" Marine Le Pen. Yet for decades we've seen how this liberal framing fuels far-right talking points.
Marine Le Pen, French National Front (FN) political party leader and candidate for French 2022 presidential election. Photo: Reuters
World6 hours ago
A year ahead of Franceâs 2022 presidential election, countless articles have been written about the threat posed by the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, leader of the Rassemblement National. With no particular attention paid to the French system or the current context, we are often told that she is the main contender to the presidency and the embattled Emmanuel Macronâs only real opponent. As always, opinion polls are mustered to push the message that this is what the people want. That it is not yet clear who the candidates will actually be â and whether a unified left-wing alternative could arise â does not seem to bother anyone with access to public discourse. The dice have already been rolled, and they seem loaded anyway.