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The far-right essayist announced on Tuesday that he is joining the race for the general elections to be held in France next April. However, according to the latest polls, the controversial candidate is going through his moments of lowest popularity. The support of the people was diluted due to the lack of credibility and fragility in some opinions on economic matters.
Facing the presidential elections that will take place in 2022, Éric Zemmour, controversial and media far-right character, announced his candidacy to be the next president of France, confirming the rumors of recent months.
In a video posted on his social networks, the journalist stated that “for a long time” he settled for being a writer and an editorial writer, but decided to run for president because “it is no longer a question of reforming France, but of saving it.” Zemmour’s first campaign event will be next Sunday, at the Zénith room in Paris.
In his video, he referred to “a France on the verge of disappearing” and appealed to the harshest Gallic essence by mentioning Napoleon Bonaparte, General Charles de Gaulle or the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, for example.
“For decades our governments on the right and left have led us on this dire path of decline and decadence,” he attacked. The one sentenced twice for inciting racial hatred said that immigration “is not the cause of the problems, but it aggravates them.”
Zemmour faces his lowest hour in polls
However, Zemmour’s launch comes at a time when his public image declined substantially from months ago, where his popularity was peaking and he was fighting for the top spot in polls.
A poll published by Le Journal de Dimanche last Sunday showed that the debater continued downhill and fell from second to third place, with an approximate 15%, behind Marine Le Pen (20%) and current president Emmanuel Macron, which leads the intention to vote with 25%, according to the survey.
Zemmour’s relapse began after major backers showed their discontent and withdrew their funding for the campaign. Analysts indicate that Zemmour has not been able to redouble what Le Pen did in the previous election and is only left with a ‘protest vote’.
Jim Shields, a professor of French politics at the University of Warwick, explained that the far-right candidate could not expand followers despite his attractive anti-establishment and anti-political side because he did not have a suitable profile for the presidency.
“His reduced momentum is due to his lack of credibility as a presidential candidate. The problem with momentum is that, once lost, it is difficult to regain it, “said Shields.
“His vulgarity could attract a certain section of voters, but the majority of the electorate looks for presidential candidates to show a certain august aspect and sees the poisonous quality of Zemmour as incompatible with the position,” explained Andrew Smith, a professor at the University of Chichester.
Beyond personality, the lack of credibility in financial matters is another aspect that has diminished charisma. In the programs where he was a panelist, he added fans arguing in his field, without meddling in the economy, something that will not be possible in a presidential campaign. His platform is clearly neoliberal, in which he promised to reduce taxes and increase the retirement age.
His provocative profile and his economic ideas have reduced his presidential potential because they are incompatible with the role and with the historical profile of French voters.
With EFE and France 24 in English
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