Opinion | Why Le Pen’s ‘France first’ populism threatens the nation, Nato and Europe

Le Pen promises voters simple solutions to highly complicated issues, and her victory would have far-ranging repercussions

As president, she would enact her version of Trumpism, threaten the Franco-Germany partnership and add France to the list of nations seeking to undermine the EU

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French President Emmanuel Macron and Rassemblement National candidate Marine Le Pen get ready for the start of a televised debate on French TV, in Saint-Denis on April 20. France will once again see a run-off presidential election between the centrist Macron and the far-right Le Pen. Photo: DPA

Published: 1:30am, 23 Apr 2022Updated: 2:31am, 23 Apr 2022

The second round of the French presidential election on April 24 will require voters to make a radical choice between President Emmanuel Macron’s liberal agenda and Marine Le Pen’s populism. If Le Pen succeeds, Nato, Europe and France itself will change at the most inopportune time.

We have seen this film before. A presidential candidate embraces populism, devastates norms, abdicates decorum, considers alliances superfluous and seems uncomfortably close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The pandemic has exposed France’s structural problems. Le Pen promises voters simple solutions to highly complicated issues, and her chances of winning are better than they were five years ago.

During her previous campaign, she called for France to leave the European Union and the Schengen area and for a return to the franc. She now appears somewhat less extreme, but one look at her vision for France shows that her presidency would have a huge impact.

For one, Le Pen is not shy to emphasise that she seeks to transform the EU into a loose alliance of European nations – even if, as is usual with populists, she has yet to provide details of exactly how her plan could be achieved. She would also cut France’s contribution to the EU budget and has already announced her intent to withdraw from the EU’s “Green Deal”.

More importantly, with Le Pen as president, France would become the third member state, alongside Hungary and Poland, to actively try to undermine the EU. Several of Le Pen’s ideas are arguably in violation of European law, such as her plan to introduce permanent goods controls at national borders and thus restrict the free movement of goods.

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