First modification:
The current ruler of France is emerging as the favorite for re-election. However, the polls point to a minimal difference between him and his main opponent, the far-right Marine Le Pen. The first round of the presidential elections will be defined at the polls next Sunday, December 10.
The current president of France, Emmanuel Macron, is the favorite to win the first round of the presidential elections in this country, which will be held next Sunday, April 10.
Although the centrist has the advantage over his 11 opponents, the far-right Marine Le Pen, seems to be on the rise in recent days.
On Monday, the polling institute Harris Interactive published a poll that pointed to an almost technical tie between the two candidates. Voting intentions indicate that 51.5% prefer Macron while 48.5% prefer Le Pen, a minimal difference.
In the event that the two candidates go to the second round, the 2017 elections will be replicated, in which the current ruler obtained 66.1% of the votes compared to 33.9% collected by the far-right leader.
Here’s why Macron may have fallen out of favor.
Macron down
“The McKinsey affair”, named after an American consulting company hired to advise the French Government on its Covid-19 vaccination campaign and other policies, was left in the hands of Justice this Wednesday.
This, because a new report from the French Senate questioned the use of private consultants by the government and accuses McKinsey of tax evasion. Something that has served the applicants as the main dart against the current president.
On the other hand, Le Pen has managed to soften her rhetoric and image, which has allowed her to capture the anti-Macron vote, as well as the support of the extreme right.
The figure of the left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, also has a good number of votes, according to the polls. Currently, he is in the third position.
However, studies show that voter abstention in the face of these elections may be considerably higher than five years ago, to the extent that many people still do not know who to vote for, or if they are going to vote. It is worth noting that voter participation decreased from 84% in 2007 to around 78% in 2017.
In addition, many citizens point to the fact that Macron has recently devoted most of his time to diplomatic talks about the war in Ukraine.
Indeed, they consider that he has not addressed issues of great importance to them in his campaign this year. Among these issues are the collapse of the purchasing power of French families, food and energy prices, social payments, security, immigration, the environment, among others.
The first round will be defined at the polls on Sunday, April 10.
With Efe and AP
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