The current president of the Fifth Republic, Emmanuel Macron, is expected to be re-elected for a second term. Experts interviewed by Izvestia came to this conclusion.
There are currently 12 candidates running for the presidency of France. Emmanuel Macron is ahead by a wide margin on this list – according to Politico on March 7, he is supported by 28% of the French (the rating began to rise after February 14).
Next came the leader of the far-right National Rally, Marine Le Pen, who lost to Macron in the last election with 17%; the head of the central region of Île-de-France, the center-right Republican candidate Valerie Pecresse and the far-right journalist, the leader of the Reconquista party created a few months ago, Eric Zemmour, each have 13%; The top 5 candidates are closed by the veteran of the French presidential race, the leader of the left “Unconquered France” Jean-Luc Mélenchon – he has 11%.
Analysts believe that Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen will enter the second round, like last time, and that the incumbent president will be re-elected for a second term.
“The events in Ukraine have created the so-called “flag effect”, when in difficult times people unite around the leader and the flag of the country. If there are no dramatic turns, Emmanuel Macron will be re-elected – eight out of 10 French people think so, and I am the first among them. The debate will be held between him and Marine Le Pen, ”Jean Bizet, a former French senator from the Republicans, now a senior adviser at the consulting company APCO Worldwide, explained to Izvestia.
In addition, the current French leader took on the role of an intermediary between Moscow and Kiev and continues to actively call both sides to this day. This shuttle diplomacy strengthened his position.
“The main task of this shuttle diplomacy is to stop the bloodshed. In this case, voters will be on the side of Emmanuel Macron – they understand that the main thing now is a ceasefire, ”says Evgenia Obichkina, professor at the Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy of Russia at MGIMO.
According to Jean Bizet, the current owner of the Elysee Palace has become the “president of crises”, but French society is now at a great loss and it expresses its dissatisfaction by taking to the streets, and it is quite possible that after the elections, Macron risks facing a much larger popular indignation than what were the same “yellow vests”.
Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:
“Ahead of the Republic: how the crisis in Ukraine affects the elections in France”
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