- Nineteen prisoners use cutlery to break out of cells at Winchester prison
- France wants progress in Ukraine before Russia returns to G7
- Italy president begins talks to seek way out of government crisis
- Italian PM expected to resign as political chaos deepens
- Russia says US cruise missile test ‘regrettable’
- Kremlin - No date set for Normandy talks on Ukraine despite Macron meeting
- Egypt court hands out 6 death sentences on terror charges
- Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat
- Russian panel eyes alleged foreign interference in protests
- Gran Canaria wildfire triggers evacuation of thousands of people
- PM Johnson calls on Germany and France to compromise on Brexit
- Sudan's ex-president Bashir arrives at corruption trial
TEHRAN, May 8, YJC -Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warns of the rise of populist figures across the world, asserting that their failure in elections does not necessarily mean they have had no effect.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -The first female African American secretary of state made the comments as French right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen was projected to lose the presidential election, unlike the populist trend in the UK and the US, which led to Brexit and Donald Trump’s presidency respectively.Rice (pictured below) noted that the election, in which pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron was appearing victorious, is "very significant."
"It comes in a wave of elections in which we're seeing populists have a great deal of power," she said on Sunday. "But I think we'd make a mistake if we see populist candidates who don't win and then we think it's had no effect.”
Just being presented at this level and necessitating a response to their populist issues means populists are gaining more power, she suggested.
"I really do believe that these populists are changing the character of the politics just by being there, so even mainstream candidates are having to respond to their agenda," said Rice.
The 62-year-old further suggested that the populists’ rise averts attention from real issues facing societies and the world.
"You see fewer people talking about free trade. You see countries talking about industrial policy and protectionism. It's hard to defend immigrants almost any place in the world today. ... The rise of nativism is having an impact on the politics, even if the candidates aren't winning."
According to the latest projections, Macron has 65.5 percent of the vote way ahead of Le Pen with 34.5 percent.
Meanwhile, US President Trump congratulated the candidate for the En Marche ! movement in a tweet.
"Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on his big win today as the next President of France," he said. "I look very much forward to working with him!"
Source:Press TV
Your Comment