Cantonal Elections - The Second Round

Ivan Rioufol writes a blog for Le Figaro. As France gears up for tomorrow's second round of cantonal elections, and as Marine Le Pen more and more expresses what the people want to hear, Rioufol's moderate position now seems passé. Still, his words are welcome, coming as they do from a main stream newspaper. This short article elicited 232 comments:

The self-proclaimed humanists do not see those who suffer. Otherwise it would be known: the forgotten Frenchmen have been trying for a long time to make their voices heard. These citizens will not give their votes anymore to those, on the Right and the Left, who exploit morality for political ends while talking rubbish. It is sad that these voters, disdained by the apostles of respect for the Other and of non-discrimination, have to choose between abstaining or the Front National, the two victors in last week's first round of cantonal elections. But their rejection of the pontificators, proven wrong by the facts, cannot be considered as a threat to the Republic or to democracy, as those closing ranks against the will of the people are claiming. This rejection will become the new political actor.

Jean-Paul Delevoye, mediator of the Republic, is almost in distress. In his report on Monday he explains that society is suffering from a "crisis of recognition" ("crise du regard") - a feeling on the part of the people that they do not exist in the eyes of the leaders, an observation often made here. His diagnosis points implicitly to the indifference of the bleeding hearts, fascinated as they are by Otherness, towards the French who consider themselves as abandoned (40% of the French feel this way according to a poll). "They are asking to be heard," Delevoye repeats, and warns of the risk of implosion for a nation afflicted with the "sickness of living together" ("mal-vivre ensemble").

Why are both Right and Left unable to see the obvious?

The sense of injustice, evident since April 21, 2002, will once again express itself on Sunday in the second round.

Note: A "mediator" of the Republic is a type of independent counselor or ombudsman who resolves conflicts between the public officials and the citizens.

The reference to April 21, 2002 is a reminder that on that date Jean-Marie Le Pen won enough votes in the first round of the presidential election to move on to the run-off. If he lost it was because of media madness and Jacques Chirac's ability to convince the immigrants to vote for him.

According to Le Salon Beige, all eyes are on the Front National and the percentages of the three big parties: UMP, PS and FN, since they are regarded as foreshadowing the second round in the 2012 presidential.