What a Historic Vote Means for Marine Le Pen and France

On Sunday night, upon learning that Marine Le Pen would advance to the second round of the French Presidential election, a giddy cheer emanated from the crowd gathered at the candidate’s election-night party, in the northern town of Hénin-Beaumont. Supporters sang the “Marseillaise” over and over in a rapturous chant. Le Pen’s victory does not represent the kind of sudden populist wave that swept over the U.S. in November, or the U.K. last summer. Instead, her close second-place finish on Sunday was the culmination of a forty-five-year battle by her National Front (F.N.) party—which was previously led by her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen—to bring nativist, nationalist principles into the center of French politics. Many of the party’s militants—activists—celebrating in Hénin-Beaumont would tell you that they have been F.N. supporters since the womb. Le Pen captured 21.3 per cent of the vote, just a few points less than the winner, Emmanuel Macron, another third-party candidate, who captured 24.01 per cent. The results suggest that, for the moment, at least, the F.N. is more mainstream than the country’s two traditional parties, the Socialists and the Republicans. When Le Pen came out for her victory speech, her blond hair shining nearly white in the stage lights, she spoke for only three minutes, conveying an understandable fatigue. “The grand debate is finally going to happen,” she announced, referring to her coming ideological face-off with Macron. Her words trailed off, and she broke into the tight grin that her followers know so well.