Vote for the crook, not the fascist – How do we overcome this?
By Kojo Essankomah
MAR 15, 2021
Jacques Chirac of the Rally for the Republic party won the 2002 French Presidential elections runoff against Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Front. What is remarkable about this election is not that Chirac won by some 82%, but the message that seemingly won it for him –
Vote for the Crook, not the Fascist. Both Chirac and Le Pen were very unpopular candidates.
To win, Chirac’s supporters encouraged the French people to choose the lesser of the two evils, in this case being Chirac, the Crook, over Le Pen, the Fascist. What happened in the 2002 French Presidential elections clearly illustrates the lesser evil principle. When voters are faced with two unpopular candidates, they often choose the one they consider the lesser of the two evils.