French voters united to block far right again
Cordon sanitaire is no longer seen in most cases as a reliable mechanism to for isolating far-right parties. But in France, which has long held a tradition of using it against the old Front National, it seems to have worked again against its modern reincarnation, the RN.
Paris: In European politics, one specific strategy for dealing with a political party that appears a danger to the wider democratic system is to look to isolate it to make sure it does not advance politically. This process is known as “cordon sanitaire”. It’s a strategy that has been applied at local levels, at national levels and across borders within the European parliament.
In general, it has been applied to right-wing parties that appear to threaten the fabric of liberal democracy. In recent years, the sheer number of populist parties emerging from the right has arguably made such a process redundant.
Yet the recent French election has shown us that the overriding principle behind cordon sanitaire can still work. The Rassemblement National (National Rally or NR) topped the poll in the first round of voting but were effectively bumped to third by tactical voting in the final round.
By strategically forming unlikely voting alliances, a reactionary party can effectively be isolated from power. However, the case of the French election might just be an isolated example of a strategy that is increasingly rare in the current environment.
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