New European Scenario: Socialists Win France

Today came confirmation for something that everyone had seen coming: Sarkozy lost his French throne to Hollande, leader of the social-democrats. With a thin margin of 3.90%, France has elected a candidate who promises, among other things, a 75% income tax for the rich.

As it often happens during economic crises, the mob has embraced the opposition party, probably not because of an ideological revolution but because the current party had the misfortune of being the one polishing the throne when the crisis hit. The same can be said for Spain, but for the fact that it happened the other way around and the right-wing rules now.

In any case, this time blind mob rule may have had a lucky strike: among other things, Holland supports getting France out of Afghanistan by the end of this year, cutting nuclear energy by 25% in order to leave more room for renewable energies, recruiting 60,000 more teachers, legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption for LGBT couples, officially recognizing the minor languages of France and finally more public spending, which would be supported by higher taxes, including the aforementioned 75% income tax for the rich. It would be impressive if he delivered in any of that, let alone on all of it. Then again, he is a politician.

These national elections have created a new European scenario, since the Merkel-Sarkozy duo which has ruled the direction of politics in the European Union for the last five years completely vanishes with the socialist victory. Even though Holland seeks to have a closer economic and military relationship between the countries, most of his national agenda will not please Merkel at all, not to mention that Hollande wants to fight against the austerity measures promoted at the European Union by the soon-to-be-dissolved Franco-German duo.

However, maybe the Chancellor will not have much time to bark like a German Shepherd: unfortunately for those who enjoy a good political dispute in which allegedly serious countries behave like children, it looks like the Christian Democratic Union is losing the German vote. If the social-democrats achieve a new coalition with the Greens and the ethnic pro-Danish party, they will probably defeat the right-wing at Schleswig-Holstein, leaving Merkel with only seven of sixteen German States for the 2013 elections.

The socialist victory will have an effect on the rest of Europe even with the CDU still on charge of Germany, so it is strange to imagine what would happen if liberal governments where at the front of the biggest political powers of the supranation. To start with, we would probably stop hearing so much about austerity measures and more about taxing the rich.

(Leer la versión original: Nuevo panorama europeo: los socialistas ganan Francia)