The AFR View
France says adieu to the centre
Australia too faces a drift to minority government, polarisation and identity politics at the next election, which France showed how easily can go off course.
French citizens have prevented a parliamentary majority for the far right National Rally only by tactical voting for an alliance led by the far left. With 40 per cent of voters turning to parties that would be considered extremists in the Australian political spectrum, it shows how removing the ballast of the centre ground risks a volatile tug-of-war between the left and the right.
The question now is how France muster a serious centrist government to take on its economic and social challenges.
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