France’s first round in its presidential election Sunday resulted in the rejection of the long-established political order as outsiders Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen advanced to the May 7 runoff. But bypassing entrenched political parties is one matter; rejecting institutions designed to increase cohesion among European nations is another. French voters would be wise to make Macron -- the more sensible, centrist candidate -- their nation’s next president.

Macron is proudly and profoundly pro-European, strongly supportive of France’s inclusion in NATO, the European Union and the eurozone. And although he has not held elected office, Macron’s previous political experience in the incumbent administration, coupled with his career as an investment banker, suggest that even as a relative outsider he’s not naive about France’s challenges. His approach to solving them is not to try to avoid the forces of globalization, as Le Pen impossibly promises, but to tackle the regulatory framework that puts France at a competitive disadvantage.

Doing so will require political and economic reformation, and accordingly Macron created a new political movement -- En Marche! (On the Move!) -- to rally his nation. While untested in office and a relatively young 39 years old, Macron offers hope that France can revitalize internally and collaborate externally to deal directly with the multiple crises convulsing the continent.

Le Pen, conversely, represents an extremist approach that would likely exacerbate France’s economic malaise and diminish it internationally. Her call for a referendum on EU membership might create a crisis for the European Union even bigger than Brexit. Overall, Le Pen’s anti-European Union, NATO-skeptical, pro-Russian, anti-immigrant, populist approach is a sop, but not a solution, to the challenges facing France in this globalized era.

Le Pen’s National Front party, from which she distanced herself Monday, has a sordid history of racism and anti-Semitism that cannot be completely erased with the purging of extremists, including her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who formerly led the National Front.

Macron is far more likely to advance US interests, including strengthening NATO, as well as help lead EU efforts to curb Russian aggression in Europe and beyond. Those would be positive developments for America and the entire transatlantic alliance at a time of increasing international challenges.


(Star Tribune/Minneapolis)