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French election: Far-right Le Pen closes in on Macron ahead of vote

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The least a president might expect, when juggling a war in Europe with an election at home, is a bounce in the polls.

But Emmanuel Macron has discovered that all the energy he spent dealing with Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has been of little help in France’s unpredictable vote.

“Nothing is impossible,” President Macron has warned, as polls suggest his far-right rival is closer than ever before to winning the presidency.

A month ago, Marine Le Pen was trailing President Macron by 10 points and fighting for a place in the second round against him.

Now she’s seen as the clear favourite to challenge him for the presidency after Sunday’s first round. If she does make it through to the 24 April run-off, opinion polls suggest for the first time that a Le Pen victory is within the margin of error.

For this, the National Rally leader can thank two men once seen as dangerous for her campaign: her far-right rival, Eric Zemmour, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, now an international pariah.

“I would say that [Zemmour’s] campaign was destroyed by Ukraine,” said Gilles Paris, an election specialist for French daily Le Monde.

“His pro-Russian attitude was a burden, while Marine Le Pen was smart enough to pivot to a more moderate point of view. She was ready to accept refugees [immediately], while it took two days for Zemmour to understand that these refugees were well accepted in France.”

Ms Le Pen has since picked up a good part of Eric Zemmour’s votes.

The post French election: Far-right Le Pen closes in on Macron ahead of vote appeared first on KBC.

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