French Election: Macron in Trouble

The current president of France is still favoured to win the election starting next Sunday. But his far-right contender is catching up.

• On Sunday, April 10, Emmanuel Macron will stand for reelection in the first round of France’s presidential vote. The latest polling suggests he will win another five years as president.
• His main contender Marine Le Pen from the far-right Rassemblement Nationale recently caught up in the polls however. In the runoff, scheduled for April 24, she could become a problem for Macron.
• Le Pen has branded herself as eurosceptical and patriotic. She was also pushing for closer cooperation with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, but has backtracked after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
• A Le Pen victory would be bad news for European plans to expand cooperation in the defense and security policies since she has advocated for a primacy of national laws over EU laws.
• The final outcome of the election will depend on how the voters of the other candidates in the race will decide after the first round. Macron supporters worry left-leaning voters could stay home.
• The issues French voters care about have changed in comparison to recent elections. According to polls unemployment has become less important while immigration remains high on the agenda.