Centrist wins big in French election

Emmanuel Macron, a political newcomer without a political party backing him, won the election for President of France with a vote of 66%, defeating the far-right Marine Le Pen who got 34%.

This feels like a defeat -- or at least a slowing -- of the global shift to the right that seemed to be sweeping across the West, beginning with Brexit, then Trump, and the growing power of nationalist far-right populism in France, with the backing of Vladimir Putin doing everything possible to undermine the European Union and NATO.

Going from a French Socialist President to a choice between a Centrist and a Far Right candidate was somewhat alarming.  And, in fact, Le Pen's party got twice the vote she did five years ago.  But this bigger-than-expected win by the middle at least appears to slow the momentum of the far-right movement.

Ralph