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Transcript/Script US-France-Politics
HEADLINE: France’s Election Offers Lessons to US Ahead of Midterms
TEASER: Will France’s election issues echo as US voters head to midterm polls later this year?
PUBLISHED: 04/27/2022 at 11:31pm
BYLINE: Anita Powell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: AP
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Mia Bush, Sharon Shahid
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP, ZOOM (WITH LICENSE)
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:15
VID APPROVED BY: wpm
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO:))
[[This week’s French presidential contest boiled down to a debate between nationalism and globalism — and globalism prevailed in the victory of President Emmanuel Macron, a close ally of President Joe Biden. What can the U.S. learn from this as Biden’s party faces a tough set of midterm elections later this year? VOA’s Anita Powell reports.]]
((NARRATOR))
President Joe Biden has said few words about the sweeping reelection victory of his close ally, French President Emmanuel Macron.
((Joe Biden, U.S. President))
"We feel good about the French election, number one. Number two...”
((NARRATOR))
Macron’s victory bolsters Biden’s agenda as he faces what he has described as the biggest threat to global security since World War II: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Longtime ally France has stood with the U.S. against Russia, with Macron casting himself as Europe’s dominant peacebroker.
Biden acknowledged that in a congratulatory tweet.
Other world leaders cast the contest in similar light, saying a vote for Macron amounted to a vote for a democratic, rules-based world order.
((NARRATOR))
Analysts say French voters also saw it that way.
((Radio: Pierre Morcos is a visiting fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies))
((Pierre Morcos, Center for Strategic and International Studies))
“Clearly France has played, since the beginning of the invasion, a driving role in the European response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and having President Macron reelected is a confirmation of continuing this firm response towards Russia. So clearly, for other European leaders, this reelection was clearly much welcomed, because it confirmed that France would keep playing a driving role in the international response.”
((NARRATOR))
But America is unique, in many ways, and Biden faces striking ambivalence from American voters, along partisan lines. Pollster Ipsos found that 37% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of Russia, and 46% approve of his handling of Ukraine.
And so, analysts say that if Biden’s left-leaning party wants an election edge, they need to take a lesson from Macron’s right-wing opponent — who, despite losing, did better than she has in previous contests.
((Radio: Célia Belin is a visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution))
((Célia Belin, Brookings Institution))
“I think one of the lessons that should be learned is that behind those nationalist, far-right, parties often hide an agenda of focusing on people's day-to-day issues — the demand for dignity, for work, for a capacity to make one's own living in the place they live. And this, I think, Marine Le Pen understood quite clearly.”
((NARRATOR))
As the French president knows, politics can be a long, bruising game. Biden’s party has many rounds to go before the final bell in November.
((Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Washington D.C.
Embargo DateApril 28, 2022 00:49 EDT
Byline((Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
