The British weekly magazine The Economist reported on November 2 (local time) that the sentiments in rural areas of France, exhausted by prolonged economic hardship, are turning toward right-wing populism.

The Gironde department centered around Bordeaux, a representative French wine-producing region, is suffering from a triple whammy of extreme summer heatwaves, high energy costs, and a sharp drop in global wine consumption.

A significant number of farmers have also given up grape farming.

In Gironde, 10,095 farms uprooted 7,825 hectares (78.25 square kilometers) of vineyards this year.

Since 2023, more than 20% of the vineyards in this region have disappeared.

Protests by student and civic groups that recently swept across France also took place in Gironde.

In Bordeaux, violent protests involving burning barricades occurred, and in Blaye, high school students blocked school entrances.

These are merely fragmented manifestations; underneath lies a region-wide anxiety and sense of defeatism regarding a pessimistic future.

A farmer who gave up grape farming after 30 years said, "I am more sad than angry," adding, "President (Emmanuel Macron) does not listen to anything."

Gironde was a region with a stronger leftist tendency for decades, but it has gradually tilted to the right.

The mayoral position of the affluent city of Bordeaux was held by the left-wing Green Party for six years before passing to President Macron's centrist-right party Renaissance this year, and the parliamentary constituency surrounding Blaye was held by the left-wing Socialist Party for 20 years before passing to Renaissance in 2017.

The lower house seat for Gironde's 11th constituency was won by the Socialist Party in 2012 and Renaissance in 2017, but in 2022, Edwige Diaz of the far-right National Rally (RN) led by presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen was elected.

Diaz was re-elected in 2024 by winning a majority in the first round without even going to a runoff, and was elected as a senator in September this year.

"We campaign constantly," lawmaker Diaz said. "We go around the markets and meet people all year round."

She also recently attended a retirement celebration for a local soldier held in a small village.

The National Rally is penetrating the sentiments of various classes, from farmhands and laborers to shopkeepers, local pharmacists, and merchants.

In opinion polls during the 2024 general election, the voter group with the highest turnout rate was the working class at 57%, and 44% of white-collar workers also supported the National Rally.

Lawmaker Diaz said, "The left has become more radical and champions Gaza rather than farmers," adding, "The public knows there is no hope in Macron or his successors, and what is serious and convincing is Marine Le Pen's discourse."

The National Rally's strategy to "improve daily local life" is also being used in other regions.

The Economist analyzed that in many cases, "red-meat identity" politics where local politicians emphasize Christianity or tradition are utilized, and populist strategies that turn eyes to everyday issues sometimes play a role in giving hope during difficult times.

The mayoral position of Saint-Savin, a small town in the Vienne department north of Gironde, was held by the left for 12 years before passing to Frédéric Jouin of the National Rally in March this year.

Amid tightening local budgets due to rising prices, Mayor Jouin turned streetlights back on at night and revived local festivals such as torchlight processions starting from the church.

Mayor Jouin said, "As we lose our vineyards, we are losing our terroir (land), our craft, and our tradition," and added, "Residents must come together again in a festive atmosphere."

Luc Rouban, a political scientist at Sciences Po in Paris, analyzed, "We are witnessing a massive change," and noted, "La France Insoumise (LFI) is becoming the 'marginal force' that once belonged to the National Rally. LFI poses a much greater threat to moderate leftist voters than the National Rally ever posed to moderate rightist voters."

The Economist pointed out that it is bewildering that in France, which has a welfare state system higher than most European Union (EU) member states, voters' trust in the government and social contract is cracking to this extent, and trust in mainstream politics is collapsing.

In an opinion poll last month, respondents who said President Macron is a good president hit a record low of 16% since his election in 2017, and another poll showed that 81% of respondents said recent violence was the government's fault.

The Economist reported that President Macron and his 10 years of centrist politics are no longer bringing hope but disappointment, and this is shifting the weight of hope toward the National Rally.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)