54
votes
Accepted
Why would far-left groups oppose Macron’s re-election?
First, a bit of background is necessary: Macron was the Minister of Economy and Industry under Valls' government, when Hollande was president (this was a centre-left government). Previously, Macron ...
- 15k
45
votes
What are the benefits for strong economies like Germany and France for being members of the European Union?
The main one is exporting without barriers to these other EU countries, in terms of [no] tariffs and [no] non-tariff barriers (thanks to unified product standards), and also lack of competitive ...
- 126k
43
votes
What are the benefits for strong economies like Germany and France for being members of the European Union?
You have to remember that the EU's immediate precursor was initially specifically set up to ensure that France and Germany would not enter into another war against each other.
Also, even a strong ...
42
votes
Accepted
Why isn't mail-in voting allowed in France?
France allowed mail-in voting from 1958 to 1975. It was replaced by proxy voting by law 75-1239 in December 1975. The reasons given at the time to get rid of mail-in voting are the same reasons not to ...
39
votes
Accepted
Is Le Pen ideologically a French equivalent of Trump?
There are major differences between the French and American political culture which reflect into their respective political agendas. I am not sure their minds or political programs fully fall into the ...
- 3,286
36
votes
What is the point of Emmanuel Macron speaking so often with Vladimir Putin?
Ultimately this war will only be stopped by negotiation.
It is exceptionally unlikely that Ukraine will drive all Russian forces out of its territory by military force, especially considering the ...
- 14k
35
votes
Accepted
Can an extra nomination in the French presidential election prevent a person's candidacy?
No - this scenario is discussed on the constitutional council’s website (from the 2017 Presidential election). The process is that a maximum of fifty parrainages from one département will be ...
CDJB♦
- 96.2k
29
votes
Accepted
What is the point of Emmanuel Macron speaking so often with Vladimir Putin?
Quoting Emmanuel Macron:
If he doesn't talk to anyone anymore, then we don't know how far he can go. It's my obsession with him, I tell him every time. When you enter the cycle of violence, the ...
- 436
28
votes
Accepted
Is French Guiana a (hard) EU border?
Customs in French Guiana
Yes, it is an external border for the purpose of EU common external customs tariffs. According to the EU's page on Territorial status of EU countries and certain territories
...
JJJ♦
- 38.2k
28
votes
Why is Macron seemingly opposing an article 50 extension?
Without citing President Macron directly, the BBC summarizes some of the reasons that play a role:
But France worries a 12-week extension could encourage more UK indecisiveness or a general election ...
JJJ♦
- 38.2k
26
votes
How would France benefit from a potential "Frexit"?
LePen is selling a brand of nationalism oriented towards the "good old days" when France mattered more, not necessarily because it was better off, but because fewer nations were successful overall, so ...
25
votes
Accepted
What significance does the announcement that Marine Le Pen is momentarily stepping aside as the leader of France's "Front National" have?
Adrien's answer has a lot of merits. It is indeed a marketing strategy, especially done at this moment (between the two rounds).
It can also be said that this is a French tradition: the President is ...
- 2,217
25
votes
Accepted
Why are Marine Le Pen's possible connections with Steve Bannon something worth investigating?
The funding of political parties is strictly organized by the law in France. Even a former President can be prosecuted, and potentially sent to jail, for cheating with the regulations.
In the ...
- 6,070
24
votes
Why exactly is Laïcité (the law on separation of church and state) not valid in Alsace?
Well, Wikipedia has a pretty detailed explanation on this:
Alsace-Moselle maintains its own local legislation, applying specific customs and laws on certain issues in spite of its being an integral ...
- 126k
23
votes
Accepted
How did Le Pen do better in the second round than in the first?
Given that all the other parties were either neutral or supported Macron, and was branded an enemy of the republic, how did she gain an addition 12% or so?
Voters aren't beholden to parties.
It's ...
- 88.7k
23
votes
Why would far-left groups oppose Macron’s re-election?
Why are left-wing groups protesting an election in which the right-wing candidate lost?
The first thing I'd like to answer to that is this: did he?
An important element of perspective you're missing ...
- 649
22
votes
Accepted
Did most French people change their opinion about who contributed most to the defeat of Nazi Germany?
In short, yes the information presented in that graphic is well sourced and appears generally reliable.
The creator of the graphic is Olivier Berruyer who is French political blogger. His source is ...
- 106k
22
votes
Accepted
Why is there an official retirement age?
The French system is a pay as you go system. It's not your money you saved you retire on (unlike, say, Malaysia), it's the money current workers are still putting in that you get. That, together with ...
19
votes
Accepted
Why do some African countries use the CFA franc if it means that they need to pay France money to be able to print money for their economies?
Depositing is not exactly “paying”. In fact, the Banque de France paid interest on that money and is currently transferring it back to African central banks (as part of a broader transition out of the ...
- 30.1k
18
votes
Accepted
Why is there so much worry about France potentially leaving the EU?
With Britain exiting, France and Germany are the most powerful countries in the EU. If France exits, the EU will in practice be dominated by Germany, and thus cease to be a truly multipolar ...
- 4,477
18
votes
Accepted
Why have markets reacted well to the first round of the French presidential election?
Stratfor's latest podcast (or here) addressed it in detail, but at root level it's very simple: the markets were pricing in (due to closeness of polling and other polling-related factors) the worst-...
- 90.7k
18
votes
What are the benefits for strong economies like Germany and France for being members of the European Union?
It seems to me that when there is a financial crisis, strong economies in EU, like Germany and France, are supposed to help the countries in trouble [...]
That's just the bone of contention. Germany ...
- 97.3k
17
votes
Why is the drive for undocumented migration so strong between France and the United Kingdom?
I have been wondering about that for quite some time and I do not have any comprehensive answer but that fact is that migration routes are much more complicated than “poor people going to rich ...
- 30.1k
17
votes
Accepted
Why hasn't France exited the EU, when it loathes the EU's enlargement?
The French are rational enough to realize that a not quite perfect EU is still vastly superior from their perspective than no EU at all. The EU is designed to build and require a consensus, so one ...
- 97.3k
16
votes
Why is the drive for undocumented migration so strong between France and the United Kingdom?
In August 2018, Refugee Rights Europe published a report entitled The Long Wait which surveyed 870 individuals living in the informal refugee camp in Calais, roughly 15% of the camp's population. Of ...
CDJB♦
- 96.2k
16
votes
Accepted
Time Limits on, and Purpose of State of Emergency in France?
There are three types of "Emergency" in the French system. The first two are constitutional, the third is statutory law, and it was the third type that was used in 2016/17.
The first can be declared ...
- 106k
16
votes
Why is there an official retirement age?
Official retirement ages are usually not maximum retirement ages but minimum retirement ages.
People who reached the retirement age are usually still permitted to work and receive a monthly income if ...
- 71.4k
14
votes
Accepted
Why does the economist label France a flawed democracy?
Following the link to the actual report (from the Wikipedia page) and searching for France brings data like:
[..] as France slipped down a category. France’s slip was the result of a deterioration ...
- 29.7k
14
votes
Why is Macron seemingly opposing an article 50 extension?
According to Luxemburg Times, Marcon only wants to grant an extension until Nov 30.
French President Emmanuel Macron wants to grant a delay until 30 November, or even sooner, to put pressure on the ...
- 126k
14
votes
What is the point of Emmanuel Macron speaking so often with Vladimir Putin?
No one else does.
Macron has accepted the role of the main negotiator with Putin from the EU (and EU friends) side for the war-related issues.
He didn't opt in for the role and likely cannot opt out. ...
- 5,377
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible