Europe September 8, 2021 FRANCE: State of the presidential race France, Politics Antonio Barroso With around 200 days to go to the 2022 presidential election, no credible challenger to the Emmanuel Macron-Marine Le Pen duopoly has yet emerged. The key factor to watch remains whether the center-right can rally behind a single candidate ahead... Read More...
Europe August 5, 2021 FRANCE: What to watch after the summer France, Politics Antonio Barroso, Luis Cornago With politics mostly on hiatus given the summer holidays, September is expected to trigger the unofficial start of the campaign for next year’s presidential election. Below we provide an overview of the key issues to watch in the coming... Read More...
Europe July 14, 2021 FRANCE: Macron lays out re-election plan – what to watch France, Politics Antonio Barroso Aside from widely reported health measures such as the compulsory vaccination of care workers, President Emmanuel Macron’s speech on 12 July included several cues about the government’s economic policies ahead of the 2022 presidential election. Below we cover the... Read More...
Europe June 21, 2021 FRANCE: The inconsequential regional elections France, Politics le pen, macron Antonio Barroso With a record-low turnout of 32%, the first round of the regional and departmental elections on 20 June should not be considered a bellwether of next year’s presidential contest. The poor showing of President Emmanuel Macron’s... Read More...
Europe May 13, 2021 FRANCE: Betting on the post-pandemic bonanza France, Politics Antonio Barroso As the vaccination campaign progresses – around one-quarter of the population has received at least one dose of the jab – President Emmanuel Macron looks determined to leave Covid-19 restrictions behind. Macron seems to be betting that the expected... Read More...
Europe April 15, 2021 FRANCE: Race to break Macron-Le Pen duopoly unlikely to be solved before Q4 France, Politics editorial, macron Antonio Barroso The recent announcement by former Labor Minister Xavier Bertrand that he would run in the 2022 presidential election has done little to clarify who will be the center-right’s main candidate. The upcoming regional elections to be held on 20... Read More...
Europe March 10, 2021 FRANCE: The Le Pen risk – Part II: Not-so-moderate policy France, Politics editorial, macron Antonio Barroso Following last week’s piece on Marine Le Pen’s electoral chances, this note covers the policy risks attached to a potential victory of the far-right politician. Although little is known about Le Pen’s policy platform, the National... Read More...
Europe March 3, 2021 FRANCE: The Le Pen risk – Part I: Electoral politics France, Politics editorial, macron Antonio Barroso With around a year to go to the 2022 presidential election, concerns are rising that Marine Le Pen might have a good shot at taking power. This piece provides a (very early) assessment of Le Pen’s electoral chances and other... Read More...
Europe February 2, 2021 FRANCE: Macron’s risky bet France, Politics editorial, covid-19 Antonio Barroso Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on 29 January that the government would not impose the widely expected third nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of Covid-19 infections. President Emmanuel Macron’s last-minute U-turn, which goes against his scientific advisors’ opinion,... Read More...
Europe December 15, 2020 FRANCE: Three topics to watch in 2021 France, Politics editorial, Brexit Antonio Barroso The Covid-19 pandemic will continue to dominate the agenda of President Emmanuel Macron’s administration during the first months of 2021. However, next year will mark the last opportunity for Macron to push for policy initiatives as the landscape of... Read More...
