The recent French presidential election has been viewed as a bellwether of European politics, as the usual race between the center-left and center-right has been replaced with a contest between a decades-old populist nationalist group and an newly created independent movement of progressive globalism. Here is what you should know about the election to choose France’s next president.

On November 27, François Fillon won an open primary to be France’s Republican Party presidential candidate. His victory surprised commentators, partly because his economic proposals run contrary to the grain of French politics.