French President Emmanuel Macron has secured another term in office, a first in two decades, with around 58.6 per cent of the vote, while his far-right rival Marine Le Pen managed an impressive 41.4 per cent, narrowing the margin since the two faced-off last in 2017 when it was 66.1 per cent to 33.9 per cent. Although this is the third time Le Pen has failed to win the election, the gains she has made over the past five years are a testament to how her extreme anti-immigration policy, ultra-nationalistic outlook for France, unhinged Islamophobia and advocacy for better ties with Russia has succeeded in attracting more voters. Macron is essentially a ‘centrist’ with a penchant for passing anti-Muslim legislation such as banning headscarves in schools, which is why he is mostly resented by the 5 to 6 million Muslims in France, but was still viewed as the lesser of two evils compared to Le Pen.
Right-wing nationalist parties have gained prominence in Europe in the past few years, with many, such as the AfD in Germany and Vox in Spain emerging as prominent opposition parties. Perhaps the most successful example of a populist demagogue coming to power in the West in recent years is US president Donald Trump who despite his plethora of troubling character flaws and problematic past, was able to secure victory in 2016 through a concentrated campaign based on hate, division and lies. Trump’s presidency saw the advent of illogical terms such as ‘alternative-facts’ and ‘post-truth-world’, signifying a fundamental deterioration in the health of the body politic. It is no wonder why Trump was most comfortable around leaders with fascist tendencies such as Vladimir Putin and Narinder Modi.
Pakistan too has seen a similar, albeit nascent, trend emerge. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan built his narrative of being the beacon of morality and simplicity by relentlessly berating PML-N and PPP’s leadership, accusing them of being amoral and financially corrupt. After being ousted through a vote of no confidence brought against him by the same political parties, he has now labelled them traitors as well, who conspired with the US remove him from power. His claims however, have little to nothing to do with reality. It is an unfortunate reality that in the absence of an effective counter narrative and a method to effectively disseminate it, politicians will attempt to win elections by taking extreme positions on sensitive issues, causing severe polarization in society which is already apparent and increasing by the day.
