Social Anger in France Likely to Grow Following Election Results, Experts Say

© AP Photo / Jean-Francois BadiasProtestors hold a yellow vest reading: we decide our own lives, before a campaign rally of Current French President and centrist presidential candidate for reelection Emmanuel Macron, in Strasbourg, eastern France, Tuesday, April 12, 2022 .
Protestors hold a yellow vest reading: we decide our own lives, before a campaign rally of Current French President and centrist presidential candidate for reelection Emmanuel Macron, in Strasbourg, eastern France, Tuesday, April 12, 2022 .  - Sputnik International, 1920, 26.04.2022
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron will face difficulties on the domestic front early in his tenure as economic repercussions of COVID-19, anti-Russia sanctions, and growing inflation continue to fuel social unrest in the country, experts said.
Alain de Benoist, a French political philosopher, said that the outcome of the second round of the election was not particularly flattering for Macron despite beating his right-wing opponent Marine Le Pen, who secured a higher share of the vote compared to their face-off in 2017.
"Marine Le Pen obtained 42% of the vote, which is considerable. Compared to 2017, she won two million votes, while Macron lost three million. But the violence of the media campaign launched against her and the pro-Macron voting instructions given by those who had fought him for five years prevented her from winning," de Benoist said.
He dubbed Macron’s victory "a great paradox," as public opinion polls over the last year showed that voters did not favour his re-election, and even in the course of the election campaign, he struggled to defend his track record as French President.
The Sunday election, which amounted to a battle of voters driven by the principle "anyone but Le Pen" or "anyone but Macron," had no fundamental stakes, de Benoist said.
"Now, we can only wish (ironically) good luck to Macron because he is going to need it. The international situation, the war in Ukraine, the negative repercussions of the anti-Russian sanctions on Europeans, the threats of a financial crisis, all of this suggests that we are heading towards decisive years, which will be very difficult to live through. Social anger is still there and will most likely grow stronger," de Benoist said.
Xavier Moreau, a political expert and founder of the French think-tank StratPol, predicted that the beginning of Macron’s second term will be fraught with economic and social challenges piling up within the country.
"He will have to reduce public spending at a time when the post-Covid economic recovery that was starting is in danger of completely dying out, especially following the sanctions on Russia decreed by Europe," Moreau said.
France's President Emmanuel Macron addresses a plenary session at the European Parliament to present the programme of activities of the French Presidency as France currently holds the European Union rotating presidency, in Strasbourg, eastern France, on January 19, 2022 - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.04.2022
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Moreau admitted that the sanctions imposed by the European Union have limited impact on Russia, but are "catastrophic" for Europe’s energy supplies and industrial competitiveness. This, coupled with soaring inflation and limited room for maneuver to replace Russian oil and gas, spells trouble for ordinary citizens.
"The French population will be like the others; hard hit in the wallet. The yellow vests crisis had started for less than that. The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire is incompetent and that does not bode well. In any case, the policy of subsidies to all 'at the same time' is over. Macron is faced with reality," Moreau concluded.
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