Quartz: Stop making the French election all about the EU—it’s about much more than that

Our Martin Michelot's post on the French elections was featured on Quartz.com website.

Our Martin Michelot wrote a post on the French presidential elections that is now featured on Quartz.com website.

It is understandable that our European friends would look at the issue — the EU — on which our race has an impact, when otherwise more relevant social trends that may apply to them in the future get lost in the shuffle. It is understandable that (some) European capitals breathed a sigh of relief last Sunday when it seemed that Macron would come out on top, carrying a positive message about the EU and his supporters waiving yellow-starred flags at his rallies.

If you read this, dear European friends, do not fight back. I know it is hard but believe me: it is harder for me. Fighting back would only reinforce Marine Le Pen’s perception that Emmanuel Macron is the candidate of the oligarchy, of the press, of the banking sector; the very perception that manages to attract a small part of the Mélenchon voters and that can only be pushed back on if the EU is able to prove its value to its citizens.

You can read the whole piece on qz.com.

Martin Michelot
Senior Associate Research Fellow

Expertise: NATO and transatlantic security, European foreign policy and defense, French politics, elections and society, Visegrad Four and Central Europe, EU institutional issues