France’s Yellow Vests Might Enter Politics—If They Can Unite
Yellow vests block the highway toll in Muret near Toulouse.
Photographer: Pascal Pavani/AFP via Getty Images
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France’s Yellow Vests may have peaked as a protest movement, but they are contemplating a next step: presenting candidates in next May’s European elections to provide another outlet for voters angry at President Emmanuel Macron.
The limited amount of polling so far suggests a Yellow Vests campaign wouldn’t impact Macron’s party in selecting legislators for the European Parliament. Instead, it would splinter the populist opposition. Any decision is far away, partly because the movement is made up of local branches and partly because many participants reject any form of politics as usual—including cooperating with each other.