French elections: Emmanuel Macron and Franois Bayrou form alliance

[brooklynite]

Source: The Guardian

Emmanuel Macron’s presidential campaign has been boosted by a surprise alliance with veteran centrist François Bayrou.

Bayrou, the perennial “third man” of French politics, surprised supporters on Wednesday by offering to sacrifice a separate candidacy and join forces with the former Socialist economy minister, who is standing on a centrist ticket.

Shortly after the announcement, Macron told journalists he accepted the deal, including the demand for a law to clean up French politics, which he added would be a turning point in the presidential campaign and in “political life”.

“The alliance proposed by François Bayrou is based on values and ideas,” Macron told AFP.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/22/french-elections-centrist-bayrou-offers-alliance-with-macron

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Just to bring everyone up to speed: the major candidates are:

François Fillon (Republicans): Presumed leader until he became ensnared in a scandal regarding his wife's employment

Emmanuel Macron (En Marche!): Independent candidate running on a Centrist (social-liberal) platform

Marine Le Pen (National Front): RW Party with a Euro-skeptic/anti-immigrant/nationalist-populist platform

Benoît Hamon (Socialist): Candidate of the Socialist Party of current President Francois Hollande who's public support has collapsed, and who announced he would not stand for re-election.

François Bayrou has run in previous elections, but is not a candidate this year.

France has a two round Presidential Election. Le Pen, and either Fillon or Macron are expected to advance to the second round. Both are expected to beat Le Pen in the second vote.

[Liberalagogo]

1. Russian Hackers are standing by.

n/t

[BainsBane]

2. Trying to swing it to Le Pen.

[tenorly]

3. Tres bien, alors!

Bayrou is a Giscardien - a protégé of former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Giscard d'Estaing isn't exactly a hero to progressives, with his pro-bankster economic policy in the '70s (best remembered for the Emprunts Giscard bonds which enriched many bankers during the gold craze but left French taxpayers on the hook) or the many corruption allegations swirling around him over the years (enough to afford him the purchase of his family's historic château).

But it's important to remember that a "conservative" in France like Bayrou or Fillon (a Gaullist) would probably be a Hillary Clinton Democrat here in the U.S. - in other words, far more progressive than Le Pen and light years ahead of wife-beating knuckle draggers like today's GOP.

[beachbum bob]

4. too bad stein didn't do this so america would not be sadled with trump...