Why do young people like Le Pen? – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
Marine Le Pen has long appealed to young voters.
Among other things, she will cut all income tax for those under 30 and will make it easier for them to get their own apartment by provide public loans.
According to a poll conducted by Ipsos, voters between 18 and 24 drew the most against the candidate on the far right, Le Pen, and on the far left, Jean-Luc Melenchon. It writes CNBC.
– My goal is to make an ambitious plan for young people, Le Pen explained on 1 May 2021.
Also know last election she was the favorite of the young people.
In the first round of the French presidential election on April 10, incumbent President Emmanuel Macron received 28 percent of the vote. Marine Le Pen received 23 percent of the vote.
On April 24, it will be decided which of the two will win the presidential election.
Appeals to young people
– Le Pen has focused very much on the young, and has been very concerned with purchasing power and the financial situation, says Pernille Rieker. She is an expert on France and a researcher at NUPI.
– She tries to appeal to most people. For “ordinary people” who are talked about a lot in Norway at the moment.
George Chabert is a professor of French history at the Department of Modern Social History at NTNU. He is amazed at how much Le Pen has appealed to young people.
– I know she appeals to the working class, but it has surprised me that she appeals so much to young people.
He says that there are many French people who do not feel represented by the political system and the established parties. He thinks many young people fall into this category.
This year’s election has so far had a relatively low turnout.
Chabert believes Le Pen has a better chance of winning than many expert tracks.
– I feel the coverage has been a bit kind to Macron in Norway. Norwegians do not understand the extent to which Macron is disliked. He is perceived as the president of the rich, Chabert explains.
– Macron has been accused of being too right-wing, says Rieker at NUPI.
Rieker also believes that Macron is perceived as the president of the rich, but explains that compared to Norwegian politics, he must be understood as a social democrat who is concerned with defending liberal values and a strong welfare state.
– He is disliked, but is also one of the responsible politicians with a chance to win. The established parties on the right and left have almost disappeared in France – at least in national politics. So now there is Macron in the center and an extreme block on the right and extreme block on the left. And the two blocks have become much bigger.
She explains that when you add up the extremist parties, more than 50 percent vote for their candidates, and that is disturbing.
What about the EU if she wins?
– If Le Pen wins, it will be serious for Europe. This will mean that France will no longer take the leadership role they have had until now in the EU, Rieker believes.
– It will be challenging and we will see more division in Europe. Le Pen stands for a completely different policy. France has largely been an initiator and has been concerned with promoting European cooperation in many areas, and especially on defense policy.
Rieker believes this is especially important for many now because of the war.
Chabert does not think Le Pen will make dramatic changes, nor does she think the French perceive her as radical when it comes to the EU.
– She no longer wants to withdraw France from the EU, as she wanted in the previous election. But she wants a Europe with more focus on national autonomy, and that the countries in the EU should have greater control over their own borders and laws, he says.
– Le Pen has had close ties to Putin and talked about him in positive terms, but after the invasion she has moderated a bit. She is also reticent in her criticism of Putin and is not willing to talk about war crimes, says Rieker
After the war is over, Le Pen believes that relations with Putin must be normalized. She is not in favor of continuing with the economic sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia in response to the invasion.
– In the time we live in now, I think few will want to invest in something uncertain and new. She has also threatened to withdraw France from NATO, which only a minority in France supports. Now you need stability first and foremost, Rieker believes.
Therefore, she believes, after all, that Macron will win the election.