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.

Host and Producer: Himmat ShaligramEditor: Saundarya Talwar
Music: Big Bang Fuzz
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<div>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.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>This was the second straight fight between the two politicians and Le Pen’s third shot at presidency.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>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. <br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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?<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>To break down the election results and their significance, we speak to senior journalist and columnist Nabanita Sircar.<br>
<br>
<strong>Host and Producer: </strong>Himmat Shaligram</div>
<div>
<strong>Editor:</strong> Saundarya Talwar</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<strong>Music:</strong> Big Bang Fuzz</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><strong>Listen to The Big Story podcast on:</strong></div>
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<div>Saavn: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2oix78C&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">http://bit.ly/2oix78C</a>
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<div>Deezer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2Vrf5Ng&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng</a>
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The Big Story is back with a second season!

The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. 

With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform!   



Millions of listeners seek out Bingepods (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to  enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.
studio@ideabrews.com

Android | Apple

<p>The Big Story is back with a second season!</p>
<p>The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. <br aria-hidden="true"><br aria-hidden="true">With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform!   </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Millions of listeners seek out <a href="https://bingepods.com/">Bingepods</a> (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to  enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.</em><br><em><a href="mailto:studio@ideabrews.com">studio@ideabrews.com</a></em></p>
<p><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bingepods.app">Android</a> | <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bingepods/id1637568609">Apple</a></p>

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