...der of the French National Front Party, Jean-Marie Le Pen has entered the second round of the elections along ith the current President, Jacques Chirac, shocking the entire orld ith the victory over the Socialist Partys candidate, current Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin. This has raised huge debates all around Europe and in the US over hat has changed in Europes mentality, in its openness toards people of all races and religions. Jean-Marie Le Pen as by no means a ne figure on the French political scene. Actually, he first ran for President in the 70s, but, until no, he has never had such an impact on the peoples votes. His speech has alays been a very strong one, ith poerful racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic connotations. He actually referred once to the Nazi gas chambers as a detail of history HYPERLINK http.cnn.com Associated Press Analysis Europes steady shift to the right p.2. But it is actually the political leaders that have given him the opportunity to go this far, because they have ignored the immigrant issue, an issue that is frustrating for many of the French people, and Le Pen as the only one to address it this has brought him huge electoral benefits. France has a very large immigrant community, mostly composed of people from Africa, the former French colonies, and from the Middle East. These immigrant communities have not blended into the French society so they live someho segregated from the rest of the people, situation that has caused lots of discontent in the communities, a high crime-rate that has expanded beyond the communities into the entire French society and a lot of unspoken tension beteen different groups of people. Also, because of the segregation, these people, lacking other options, ill ork for less money than the native French, and this causes lots of resentment from the rest of the society, because people feel like they have an unfair competition for their jobs. By being the only one that has addressed these issues, even if he did it in an extreme and tough manner, Le Pen has managed to dra huge support from people that are more exposed to these issues. Also, because President Francois Mitterand has tried to destabilize the right-oriented parties in the late 80s and early 90s, he has given the opportunity to LePens far-right National Front to gain votes from the people ho ere unsatisfied ith the other to major parties, the Socialist and the Center-Right parties, parties that have dominated the French political scene for a long time The Independent- It is not enough to heave a sigh of relief and say Mr Le Pen ill never in p.2. This has caused people to take the path of a negative vote in the elections, a vote that is not given in order to support one or another ideology, but in order to sho discontentment ith the major parties politics. And Le Pen as the one ho took advantage of this situation tooAnother major political issue that Le Pen has benefited from is the current globalization trend that is active all over Europe, not just France. Michael Elliot states, hen talking about the French society, that for many of its elite, the people ho ork for Vivendi and Airbus, have Harvard M.B.A.s and speak perfect English globalization and a free-market economy offer glittering opportunities. But for others and this is true elsehere in Europe the modern orld is a threat Michael Elliot - hy Le Pen polled so ell p.2. The shifting of the executive poers from Paris to Strasbourg, here the European Unions Parliament is located, frightens the French people. And in consequence they have chosen Le Pen because he is the only candidate that has promised to turn back the clock, to rebuild a orld here to live in France means that you speak, eat and buy French Elliot, p.2The events that have folloed the shocking results of the First Round of this years Presidential elections have proven nonetheless that France isnt turning toards racism. The impressive public campaign that the entire political class and civil society have launched against Le Pen and the support this campaign has received, combined ith the devastating victory in the Second Round of President Jacques Chirac, ith 82 of the votes, have proven beyond doubt that it isnt the fact that the French people are racist that has caused this surprise, but the unspoken immigration issue that is frustrating for lots of people asell as the strong competition beteen the main parties hich has alloed a third party to riseAnne AppleBaum, Lessons of politics. Also, in the legislative elections that have folloed the Presidential elections, Le Pens National Front has suffered a huge defeat, not inning any seats in the French Parliament. So the people have realized the risks of having an extremist party gaining ground and they have voted accordingly in the second round of the elections.The French presidential campaign has been preceded by other such cases throughout Europe. The best-knon case, a case that has got lots of media coverage of its on, as the success of Jorg Haiders Freedom Party in the 1999 Austrian elections. This case as analyzed very thoroughly by the European Union and Austria had to face some international sanctions because of the entrance of this extremist party in the Austrian Government as part of a political coalition formed in order to give the parties a majority in the Austrian Parliament. The Austrian Freedom Party FPO, ith its leader, Jorg Haider, is an extreme-right party and it has a very bad reputation among the other European chancelleries for its strong extreme message, a message that has caught very ell ith the Austrian electorate. This partys success as mostly caused by peoples discontent of the existing bipolarization of the Austrian political scene, beteen the Social Democratic and the Conservative Parties and because of its strong and clear messages and slogans, slogans that focus on the poer and strong ideas. Haiders success is based on an extremely demagogic speech and exploitation of peoples fears of globalization and losing their ay of life Magali Perrault Trouble on the Island of the Blessed, p.2 The fact that Austrians have proven to the entire Europe in a couple of years that they are not returning no nazism, through political decisions and popular support proves once again that these people are open-minded people and also that the ascension of right-ing parties in the spotlight of Europes political scene is unrelated to a major shift in Europeans mentalities. Haiders Freedom Partys support has diminished from 27.22 in the 1999 October elections to around 16 in the latest poles. But Haider is still governor of the Carinthia province and he continues to push for a pan-European netork of right-ing politicians HYPERLINK http.cnn.com AP, p.2. So the issue is still present in the island of the blessed and it must be faced, otherise, just like in France, these movements might have even bigger success in the next elections. No European society is immune to racism. Germany, ho h...
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