Analysis: Loss is victory for far-right in France’s election

By JOHN LEICESTER
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — One of the headlines from the presidential election in France is that the far-right has come out of the cold and gone mainstream. Far-right populist candidate Marine Le Pen didn’t win. But she edged another step closer on her third attempt at the presidency — snatching a victory of sorts from her defeat to reelected President Emmanuel Macron. With just over 40% of the vote, unprecedented for her, Le Pen’s anti-foreigner, anti-system politics of disgruntlement are now more entrenched than ever in the psyche, thinking and political landscape of France. The country escaped a political, social and economic earthquake by not voting in Le Pen. Or perhaps just delayed one, should she choose to stand again in 2027.