A populist movement that threatened to topple a French government more than 60 years ago has important lessons for today’s protests and why they represent a reckoning.
In a polling station in western France on June 11, 2017.
Loïc Venance/AFP
Pierre Bréchon, Auteurs historiques The Conversation France
Many French voters seems willing to give the new president and his party, La République en Marche, a broad mandate, even if they didn't initially support him.
Both attack the status-quo, but for entirely different reasons.
As a French specificity, blank vote is counted but not recognised, despite a steady increase of its usage in many elections in the country.
Eric Gaillard/Reuters
A survey shows that candidates who exploited populism in one way or the other during the first round of the French presidential election captured about half of the vote.
Emmanuel Macron was the winner of the first round of the French presidental election.
Eric Feferberg/AFP
The first round of the presidential election has left French citizens and politicians divided – and the top candidates' four-way split doesn't favour governance of the country.
François Hollande promised to make France’s youth a priority, but was a disappointment to them. While current candidates often showcase young supporters, will they have a voice after the election?
Their policies on Syria, Russia, terrorism and the European Union.
Popular candidates for the 2017 presidential election (from left): Fillon, Macron, Melenchon, Le Pen and Hamon get ready to debate on March 20, 2017.
REUTERS/Patrick Kovarik
Behind the judicial turmoils of some of the candidates, it is becoming increasingly clear that the French presidential campaign is about two significantly opposed visions of the future.
Professeur en Information-Communication à l’Institut Français de presse (Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas), Auteurs historiques The Conversation France