THE fear that Marine Le Pen would triumph in the April 24 final round of France's presidential elections was behind the unprecedented step taken by major European Union leaders, which was to write an op-ed in the pages of Le Monde pleading with French voters to vote for Emmanuel Macron — and for European unity and stability. It was easy to see where the fear was coming from.

The world's 7th biggest economy and a pillar of the European Union and German-Franco solidarity would lurch into uncertain territory with a Le Pen victory.