Well, instead of second round match-up of Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin that was expected, Chirac will be facing Jean Marie Le Pen, the far-right anti-immigrant candidate. While Chirac will likely be the clear favorite against Le Pen in the second round, it’s a bit alarming that old, crusty xenophobe Le Pen would beat center-left Jospin. This is also very disturbing when taken in the wider context of an apparent extreme right wing upswing in Europe (Haider in Austria, Nationalists in Antwerp, the return of the Republican (not the same as US) in Germany and fascists majority in Denmark. Also, if I remember correctly, most of these guys support seceding from the European Union. Europe could be facing some very interesting and difficult challenges. Peace.
