Center-right Government Minister Dominique Faure in the French elections
Center-right Government Minister Dominique Faure took part in the French elections and came third in her constituency in the first round. She was defeated by the candidates of the extreme right and the Socialist Party.
The second round and the options of Minister Faure
In the second round of the elections, Minister Faure had two options. He could keep his candidacy and increase the chances of Le Pen’s ultra candidate being elected. Or, he could withdraw and support the Popular Front candidate, with whom he shared the defense of democratic and republican values. Finally, Minister Faure decided to withdraw and explicitly ask for the vote for the socialist candidate, who was elected defeating the extreme right.
A comparison with Spanish politics
To better understand this situation, we can imagine a Spanish demarcation where the Vox and PSOE candidates are in first and second place. In this scenario, the PP candidate, who came third, would withdraw and campaign for the PSOE candidate to win and defeat the extreme right. But in Spain, what we see is the opposite. The PP allies itself with Vox and gets them into governments and councils wherever they have a majority.
The difference between the European right and the Spanish Vox-PP
The difference between the democratic right in Europe and the Vox-PP in Spain is not that the European right is less right-wing than the Spanish PP. They share a parliamentary group in the European Parliament. The difference lies in the culture of defense of democracy that exists in Europe and that the Spanish right simply does not have. While the European right-wing condemns Nazism and fascism without subterfuge, the Spanish right-wing is still playing tricks on Francoism.
The situation in France and other countries
In France, thanks to the New Popular Front, which is the unity of all the left to face the extreme right, measures are being taken to prevent it from gaining power. In Spain, there has also been a progressive and democratic front led by the Socialist Party and President Pedro Sánchez. Also, recently, the Labor Party in Great Britain won a landslide victory. All this gives us a glimmer of hope in the face of the ultra wave that seeks to impose itself on the West. The left is standing.
The importance of the situation in Catalonia
It is important to emphasize that Catalonia must follow this trend towards the defense of democracy. After having a left-wing government in Spain, as well as Britain and France, it is time for all progressive parties to unite to defend democracy and curb the far right. In Catalonia, the sum of the PSC, ERC and the Commons has an absolute majority in Parliament, therefore, the agreement is easier to achieve than in other places.
conclusion
Center-right Government Minister Dominique Faure has been an example of how the democratic right in Europe acts to defend democracy and prevent the extreme right from gaining power. This is a clear difference with the Spanish Vox-PP, which allies itself with the extreme right instead of fighting it. It is important that this trend continues and that Catalonia also joins this defense of democracy.
References
Source: ‘Catalan language course – Department of Justice’
