After months of turbulent campaigning, the drama of the first round of the French presidential election has come to a close, with Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen left to face each other for the second round.

Los resultados de la primera vuelta de la elección presidencial abren una nueva fase de la crisis política en Francia. Al igual que en abril de 2002, la segunda ronda opondrá la derecha a la extrema derecha. Pero mucho ha cambiado desde 2002. Entre medias, ha tenido lugar la crisis económica de 2008. La probable victoria de Emmanuel Macron, en dos semanas, no dará lugar a la relativa estabilidad política de la que Chirac se benefició tras su victoria en mayo de 2002. La recomposición de todo el espectro político abre un período importante de incertidumbre e inestabilidad. Las elecciones legislativas de junio serán la primera ilustración. No hay ninguna

Statement von Révolution (IMT Frankreich): Die Ergebnisse der ersten Runde der französischen Präsidentschaftswahlen öffnen eine neue Etappe der politischen Krise in Frankreich. Wie im April 2002 kommt die extreme Rechte in die Stichwahl. Aber seit 2002 hat sich viel verändert. Dazwischen liegt die Wirtschaftskrise 2008.

Les résultats du 1^er tour de l’élection présidentielle ouvrent une nouvelle phase de la crise politique en France. Comme en avril 2002, le deuxième tour opposera la droite à l’extrême droite. Mais bien des choses ont changé depuis 2002. La crise économique de 2008 est passée par là. La probable victoire d’Emmanuel Macron, dans deux semaines, ne débouchera pas sur la relative stabilité politique dont Chirac avait bénéficié dans la foulée de sa victoire en mai 2002.

This is a statement by Révolution, the French section of the International Marxist Tendency issued as soon as the results of the first round of the presidential election were known. 

La repentina remontada de la candidatura de Jean Luc Mélenchon en las elecciones presidenciales francesas del próximo domingo 23 de abril, ha vuelto todas las miradas hacia su movimiento, La Francia Insumisa, y su programa. La Corriente Marxista Internacional nunca ha claudicado a la histeria de “que viene el fascismo” que ha caracterizado a las principales corrientes de izquierda europeas en los últimos meses. Al contrario, hemos defendido de manera consistente que están dadas las condiciones para un giro a la izquierda en todas partes.

De senaste tre veckorna har Rebelliska Frankrikes kandidat ökat snabbt i opinionsmätningarna inför presidentvalet: från att ligga på femte plats med omkring 11 procent, till tredje platsen med över 18 procent idag. Samtidigt har andelen som uppger att de tänker rösta på någon av de två ledande kandidaterna långsamt men stadigt minskat: längst till höger har Le Pen gått från en högsta punkt på 28 ned till 24 procent, och den extremt högerinriktade liberalen Macron har gått från en högsta punkt på 26 ned till 23 procent.

The last three weeks have seen a quick progression of the candidate of Rebellious France in the polls for the presidential election: from being fifth with around 11% to being third with over 18% now. This rapid rise has been accompanied with a slow but steady decrease in the voting intentions for the two candidates at the top, the far right Le Pen (from a peak of 28% down to 24) and the liberal Thatcherite Macron (from a peak of 26% down to 23).

With under a month to go before the first round of France’s presidential elections, there is still all to play for, with almost half of French voters still undecided. Arguably the most significant feature of the contest so far has been the almost complete collapse of the traditional parties. The incumbent president, Francois Hollande hasn’t even bothered to stand, so loathed is he by the public. His Socialist Party’s last hope, the “radical” Benoit Hamon, now languishes in fifth place according to recent polls.

Two years ago, an editorial in the Financial Times described France as being in a pre-revolutionary situation. That may have been an exaggeration, but it was certainly a reflection of the impasse of French society. Now that impasse has grown into a full-blown political crisis.

The defeat of Manuel Valls in the Socialist Party primary was celebrated, or at least appreciated, by far more than the 1.2 million who voted for Benoit Hamon. Valls, the former prime minister, is one of the most consistent representatives of the right-wing, pro-capitalist, leadership of the PS.

The 2017 presidential election will not be a normal election preceded by a normal election campaign. In recent decades, French elections have generally been a predictable duel between the Parti Socialiste (PS) candidate and a candidate from the traditional right wing. This norm, however, experienced its first exception on April 21st, 2002, when Jean-Marie Le Pen of the Front National (FN) eliminated Lionel Jospin (PS) in the first round.

The 2017 presidential election is at the heart of a new, profound crisis in the French Communist Party (PCF). The National Secretary of the party, Pierre Laurent, has for several months been calling for a “common candidate” of the “living forces of the left,” and says that he regrets the “division.” In the name of this approach, the leadership of the PCF has refused to involve the party and its activists in the campaign of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who was the candidate for the Left Front in the presidential election of 2012.

France witnessed a wave of intense class struggle earlier this year with the strikes and mass protests against the government’s new law on labour relations. The law was eventually passed in July and the movement died down, but now the working class and youth is preparing to move from the trade union front to the political.

The [new French] labour law will be adopted in the National Assembly by 22 July, after final feedback from the Senate. The “Socialist” government has won this battle. To do so, they resorted to levels of police repression unprecedented in recent history, as well as a violent campaign of insults and stigmatization against the activists of the CGT involved in the struggle. Using the presence of “thugs” (“rioters”) as a pretext to discredit the movement, the government subjected the latest protests in Paris to massive police supervision and security screening, de facto restricting the right to demonstrate.