Welcome to Jacobin Radio, I'm Susie Wiseman.

We're speaking to Sebastian Budgin in Paris for an extended conversation and

overview of the upcoming French election. The first round of the election is

April 23rd and the traditional parties are being eclipsed in the polls with

the surge of right-wing populist Marine Le Penh and the newcomer.

Emmanuel Macron, a slick young banal center-right neoliberal. We'll go beneath the surface with

Sebastian Budgin to examine the political, economic, and social backdrop and look at

the top electoral contenders from right to left in detail.

I'm Susie Wiseman and very pleased to have Sebastian Budget with us.

French elections for 2017 have their first round on April 23rd

and the second round on May 7th there is 11 candidates and Sebastian is going to

give us an overview on the candidates and their worldview and their

electoral chances but this all happens in the context of the rise of right-wing

populism in the world seen in the United States with the election of Donald

Trump in Britain with Brexit, which has now been officially triggered, and the spectacular rise of

right-wing populist Marine Le Penh in France.

But also in France, there's a left, as there always has been, to the left of the

Long Socialist Party, which was thoroughly discredited. There's a left, as there always has been, to the left of the

Lon's Socialist Party, which was thoroughly

discredited for its austerity and anti-labor legislation.

Sebastian Budgen, he'll talk tonight also

about the candidates on the left, especially Jean-Loupe Manchin,

...