French Political Establishment Rallies Against Far-Right Le Pen

Published April 24, 2017 at 1:06 PM EDT

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French presidential election candidate for the far-right Front National party Marine Le Pen delivers a speech in Henin-Beaumont, on April 23, 2017, after the first round of the Presidential election. (Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images)

For the first time in nearly 60 years, no candidate from France’s mainstream left or right parties will take part in the country’s presidential election on May 7. Both centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen progressed to a runoff, after Sunday’s initial election. Already, establishment figures are unifying against Le Pen, who has come to embody the country’s anti-immigrant and anti-globalization movement.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley (@ElBeardsley) about the results and the next steps.