The First Round of the French Presidential Election – And the Winner Is?

After the Dutch parliamentary election in March which did not bring the spectacular triumph for populist Geert Wilders, it was the French voters’ turn to decide on the political direction their country will take. What have been the deciding issues during the election campaign? What are the expectations for the run-off and the upcoming parliamentary election? Will the European Union be spared the right-wing populist wave many feared for this year and how will the French election results impact the EU and European policy?