Marine Le Pen

A flurry of early projections and exit polls showed incumbent Macron came first with 28.1-29.5% of the vote, followed by Le Pen on 23.3-24.4%. The surging cost ...

Le Pen, seen as economically left-wing despite being very much affiliated with the far fight in France, has been highly focused on the cost of living. Support for Macron had jumped following Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and his mediation efforts earlier this year. Most of the mainstream candidates that failed to make the runoff immediately backed Macron after the exit polls came in, with Mélenchon telling his supporters there "must not be one single vote for Le Pen in the second round." But it's an issue that his opponent Le Pen, who heads up the anti-immigration National Rally party — leveraged significantly in her campaign. A flurry of early projections and exit polls showed incumbent Macron came first with 28.1-29.5% of the vote, followed by Le Pen on 23.3-24.4%. The different projections showed different tallies but all pointed toward a runoff between Macron and Le Pen in two weeks' time, with the gap between the two not as tight as some political analysts had been predicting. French leader Emmanuel Macron and his far-right rival Marine Le Pen topped the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, according to exit polls, and are set to face off in the final vote on April 24.

We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest French presidential election news every morning. Emmanuel Macron and his far-right rival Marine ...

Marine Le Pen, qui avait été défaite par Emmanuel Macron en 2017, n'a jamais semblé aussi proche de la victoire selon les sondages réalisés avant l'élection qui ...

« En 2017, Marine Le Pen n’avait pas de réserve significative. On est à un stade où ils me font peur ». Là elle devrait pouvoir aller beaucoup plus loin. L’abstention est particulièrement forte, entre 26,2 % et 29,1 % selon deux estimations, marquant le dédain croissant des Français vis-à-vis de leur classe politique. « Ce qui se jouera le 24 avril sera un choix de société et de civilisation », a lancé Mme Le Pen, en promettant notamment de « restaurer la souveraineté de la France ». Le président va devoir « aller chercher les électeurs de gauche et écologistes un par un », a mis en garde une cadre du parti écologiste Les Verts, Sandrine Rousseau. Sinon, « vous ne passerez pas ».

France's presidential runoff will likely see Emmanuel Macron face off against Marine Le Pen for a second election in a row, but the woman challenging ...

Le Pen visited the Russian strongman during her 2017 campaign for president She is best known as a member of the French far-right's first family. The strategy appears to have worked.

Les sondages ne s'étaient pas trompés. Tel qu'attendu, Emmanuel Macron et Marine Le Pen ont remporté le premier tour de l'élection présidentielle en France.

Zemmour a appelé dimanche soir ses électeurs à voter pour sa rivale d’extrême droite au deuxième tour. L’espoir de la gauche, Jean-Luc Mélenchon a amélioré son score de 2017 mais n’est pas parvenu à se qualifier pour le second tour, avec 22,2 % des votes. Devant ses partisans, Marine Le Pen a quant à elle appelé à une « grande alternance dont (la) France a besoin » après sa qualification pour le second tour, invitant « tous ceux qui n’ont pas voté » pour Emmanuel Macron à la « rejoindre ». « Ce qui se jouera le 24 avril sera un choix de société et de civilisation », a lancé Mme Le Pen.

Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen qualify for the second round of the French presidential election.

In 2017, Le Pen herself lost to Macron with close to 34 percent of the vote, a much greater share than her father. Reactions in the camp of her far-right rival Eric Zemmour will also be watched closely. Macron, meanwhile, has been perceived as taking a high-handed approach to the election, declaring his candidacy only last month, and refusing to debate with rival candidates. It is Le Pen’s third appearance —and her highest ever showing — in the first round of a presidential election. Much will now depend on which candidate can pick up the support from Jean-Luc Mélenchon on the far left, who came third in the first round with a projected vote of slightly more than 21 percent. His rival Le Pen, a longtime admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, garnered 23.4 percent of the vote, according to the same projections.

If the 2022 French election is today largely posed as a duel between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, it has also been marked by the civil war between two ...

In contrast, Zemmour stayed true to the traditional far-right argument of “ the shield and the sword.” In this revisionist perspective, Marshal Pétain is framed as the “shield,” protecting the French people from the inside, whereas de Gaulle was the “sword” fighting for France’s liberation from abroad. However, the fact that his polling has remained stable, at around 10 percent, seems to not only demonstrate that Zemmour’s voice still remains influential — it also hints at the resilience of the traditionalist line that is carefully waiting to assess its future. One example is her frequent references to the Christian roots (racines) of France, echoing the controversial expression français de souche (the French of French stock) to refer to French people with an alleged ethnic purity. Fighting against the pejorative “far right” label, Le Pen has over the years embraced a reframing of her nationalist agenda as a struggle between the “patriotic French people” against a failing political establishment that has repeatedly betrayed its promise to protect the people. Although his predicted vote share has now dwindled to 10 percent, his sudden emergence in the political field made him a threat to Le Pen’s campaign, where he was in turn framed as a factor of division that might weaken their whole camp. In a nutshell, populism articulates a society in crisis where an elite is failing in its duty to represent and act on behalf of its people, and where radical change is embodied through the salutary intervention of a transgressive leader. Zemmour is much more explicit about his reactionary vision of France than Le Pen: where both aspire to a return to a simpler time, when the nation was supposedly glorious and stronger, Zemmour makes nostalgia a central point of not only his speeches but also his political communication. Immediate success in the polls saw him rise to a third position below Macron and Le Pen as he contested a share of her vote, making her fall from 23 percent to 16 percent as he himself began polling at 16 percent. However, Le Pen was not always so subtle in her attacks against Zemmour. In a long interview for his former employer Le Figaro, she lambasted Zemmour’s campaign for relying on “sound and fury,” an implicit reference to not only Faulkner’s original work but also to the more recent Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff’s infamous book about Trump’s chaotic presidency. Le Pen knew that her niece’s rallying to Zemmour was only a matter of time, so used the upcoming betrayal as an opportunity to further humanize herself. He argues that her search for dédiabolisation — to “de-demonize” her party — led her too far from the far right’s nationalist fundamentals. During this campaign, Zemmour has been candid about his bid to rejuvenate the project of the “ union of the right wings,” which he sees as the only way to challenge Emmanuel Macron’s hegemony over the political center.

Centrist Macron may find it hard to make criticism of far-right opponent's racist, anti-Muslim platform stick in next round.

Macron’s tactic so far has been to remind voters of the details of Le Pen’s manifesto, slamming it as a racist, anti-Muslim platform that would wreck the economy and create mass unemployment. Last week, the pollster Brice Teinturier of Ipsos found that if Le Pen were elected president tomorrow, more people expected an improvement in their own situation and the situation of the country than if Macron were re-elected. That Le Pen is now closer to power than ever before is in part the result of her own rethink of political strategy. In September 2021, Le Pen was the 11th most popular political figure in France – already a high position. Instead of holding big rallies, Le Pen went under the radar to visit markets in small towns and villages, listening and posing for selfies. Le Pen rose in the polls while Zemmour dropped, damaged by his previous admiration of Putin and initial refusal of Ukrainian refugees.

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen appear to be the leading candidates in the first round of the French presidential elections, an analysis of early results ...

Surveys ahead of the race showed that a second round of Macron vs. While his ambitious plan to bolster the European Union's autonomy and geopolitical heft won him respect abroad and at home, he remains a divisive figure when it comes to domestic policies. Far-right political commentator turned presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, who enjoyed a seat among the top three candidates until March according to IFOP polling, came in at 7%. While Macron appears on track to win the first round, he is a polarizing figure whose approval rating has lagged during his first term. Macron is seeking to become the first French president to win reelection since Jacques Chirac in 2002. Twelve candidates were running for the top job.

Le président français sortant Emmanuel Macron l'emporterait au second tour de la présidentielle face à la candidate d'extrême droite Marine Le Pen.

La marge d'erreur est de 3%. Le report des voix des électeurs du candidat de la gauche radicale Jean-Luc Mélenchon - arrivé troisième au second tour selon les dernières estimations - est aussi très éparpillé: 33% pour M. Macron, 23% pour Mme Le Pen et 44% blanc, nul ou abstention, selon l'Ifop. Il serait de 27% pour le président sortant et de 21% pour Marine Le Pen, selon Opinionway. Tous deux se sont qualifiés dimanche pour le second tour, avec environ 28% des voix pour le président sortant et environ 23% pour Marine Le Pen, selon les estimations.

Macron and Le Pen will advance to a presidential runoff on April 24 with strong echoes of their last face-off in the 2017 election.

Mr. Macron has accused Ms. Le Pen of pushing an extremist manifesto of racist, ruinous policies. To beat Ms. Le Pen in the runoff, Mr. Macron must pick apart her years-long rebranding effort to make herself seem less extreme, a makeover that has even highlighted her love of cats. Ms. Pécresse said she would vote for Mr. Macron in the runoff. Polling agency projections put both Mr. Macron and Ms. Le Pen on course to improve their 2017 first-round showings, highlighting how French politics have become increasingly polarized. The runoff campaign is likely to be far more confrontational than Round 1, which was largely overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. Mr. Mélenchon, addressing supporters who sometimes shed tears, repeatedly said: “We must not give one vote to Mrs. Le Pen.” Ms. Le Pen is promising seismic shifts for France – both domestically and internationally – if elected as the country’s first woman president. Mr. Macron for months had looked like a shoo-in to become France’s first president in 20 years to win a second term. Mr. Macron also is a firm supporter of NATO and of close collaboration among the European Union’s 27 members. He vowed to “implement the project of progress, of French and European openness and independence we have advocated for.” Mr. Mélenchon was credited with about 20 per cent support. Yet some of her defeated rivals were so alarmed by the possibility of Ms. Le Pen beating Mr. Macron that they urged their supporters Sunday to shift their second-round votes to the incumbent.

If the 2022 French election is today largely posed as a duel between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, it has also been marked by the civil war between two ...

In contrast, Zemmour stayed true to the traditional far-right argument of “ the shield and the sword.” In this revisionist perspective, Marshal Pétain is framed as the “shield,” protecting the French people from the inside, whereas de Gaulle was the “sword” fighting for France’s liberation from abroad. However, the fact that his polling has remained stable, at around 10 percent, seems to not only demonstrate that Zemmour’s voice still remains influential — it also hints at the resilience of the traditionalist line that is carefully waiting to assess its future. One example is her frequent references to the Christian roots (racines) of France, echoing the controversial expression français de souche (the French of French stock) to refer to French people with an alleged ethnic purity. Fighting against the pejorative “far right” label, Le Pen has over the years embraced a reframing of her nationalist agenda as a struggle between the “patriotic French people” against a failing political establishment that has repeatedly betrayed its promise to protect the people. Although his predicted vote share has now dwindled to 10 percent, his sudden emergence in the political field made him a threat to Le Pen’s campaign, where he was in turn framed as a factor of division that might weaken their whole camp. In a nutshell, populism articulates a society in crisis where an elite is failing in its duty to represent and act on behalf of its people, and where radical change is embodied through the salutary intervention of a transgressive leader. Zemmour is much more explicit about his reactionary vision of France than Le Pen: where both aspire to a return to a simpler time, when the nation was supposedly glorious and stronger, Zemmour makes nostalgia a central point of not only his speeches but also his political communication. Immediate success in the polls saw him rise to a third position below Macron and Le Pen as he contested a share of her vote, making her fall from 23 percent to 16 percent as he himself began polling at 16 percent. However, Le Pen was not always so subtle in her attacks against Zemmour. In a long interview for his former employer Le Figaro, she lambasted Zemmour’s campaign for relying on “sound and fury,” an implicit reference to not only Faulkner’s original work but also to the more recent Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff’s infamous book about Trump’s chaotic presidency. Le Pen knew that her niece’s rallying to Zemmour was only a matter of time, so used the upcoming betrayal as an opportunity to further humanize herself. He argues that her search for dédiabolisation — to “de-demonize” her party — led her too far from the far right’s nationalist fundamentals. During this campaign, Zemmour has been candid about his bid to rejuvenate the project of the “ union of the right wings,” which he sees as the only way to challenge Emmanuel Macron’s hegemony over the political center.

Selon les estimations, Emmanuel Macron est un peu en dessous de 30%, plus haut qu'anticipé dans les sondages avant le vote, à l'issue d'une première partie de ...

«En 2017, Marine Le Pen n’avait pas de réserve significative. Marine Le Pen a sur le papier une réserve de voix nettement moins importante. Là elle devrait pouvoir aller beaucoup plus loin. Deux principaux défis se dresseront sur la route des deux prétendants: l’abstention qui a été très forte, un peu en dessous de 30% selon les estimations, et le report de voix qui est incertain, tant est vive la défiance des Français envers la politique et pour certains envers la politique menée par Emmanuel Macron, qu’ils qualifient de «président des riches». Marine Le Pen a défendu sa vision d’un «rassemblement des Français autour de la justice sociale et de la protection, garantie par un cadre fraternel autour de l’idée millénaire de nation», qu’elle a opposée à «la division, l’injustice et le désordre imposés par Emmanuel Macron au profit de quelques uns». «Ce qui se jouera le 24 avril sera un choix de société et de civilisation», a lancé Mme Le Pen, en promettant notamment de «restaurer la souveraineté de la France».

Emmanuel Macron wins the first round, but the run-off against his far-right rival may be far closer.

She has built her campaign around the cost-of-living crunch facing much of Europe, promising to cut taxes and waive income tax for under-30s. But in the end, the spring sunshine meant turnout was not as low as feared, at almost 75%. Mr Macron's team is already planning a series of big rallies and major TV appearances. Ifop pollster François Dabi said his company's 51%-49% estimate was the closest they had ever predicted. Later in the evening, Mélenchon activists gathered outside his campaign HQ thinking he might even come second, but it was not to be. The battle for votes now starts in earnest.

Marine Le Pen est parvenue dimanche pour la deuxième fois au second tour de l'élection présidentielle face à Emmanuel Macron, fruit d'une "dédiabolisation" ...

Elle "dédiabolise" le parti de son image antisémite et raciste, jusqu'à en exclure en août 2015 son père, dont elle a toléré pendant des années les propos, pour certains condamnés en justice. Mais ces revirements lui valent d'être accusée de "banaliser" le parti. "J'ai adulé cet homme", confie-t-elle.

Will it be the first re-election of a president in 20 years, or third time lucky for his far-right opponent?

She would remove the right of children born in France to foreign parents to obtain French nationality in their teenage years. In 2018 Le Pen renamed the party the National Rally, seeking to get rid of the martial imagery and broaden its appeal. She has promised to renationalise motorways, scrap the TV licence fee and privatise public service broadcasting. During the Covid pandemic, he turned to state interventionism and vast public spending to protect companies and households, boasting of “nationalising wages”, which the public backed. He has promised to gradually raise the pension age from 62 to 65, an unpopular measure. He says that for the first time in 30 years, France is opening more factories that it is closing.

Selon les estimations d'Ipsos / Sopra-Steria, le Président sortant obtiendrait 27,6% des voix, contre 23% pour la candidate du Rassemblement national. Retour ...

Anne Hidalgo appelle à faire barrage à l'extrême droite en votant Emmanuel Macron au deuxième tour, le 24 avril : Il a appelé ses partisans à voter Marine Le Pen : Elle le critique néanmoins pour son comportement pendant la campagne du premier tour : Comme en 2017, Emmanuel Macron et Marine Le Pen sont arrivés en tête du premier tour de l'élection présidentielle. Selon les estimations d'Ipsos / Sopra-Steria, le Président sortant obtiendrait 27,6% des voix, contre 23% pour la candidate du Rassemblement national. D'après les estimations d'Ipsos/Sopra-Steria, Emmanuel Macron obtiendrait 27,6% des voix, contre 23% pour Marine Le Pen. Selon elle, la victoire de Marine Le Pen conduirait à "l'effacement de la France sur la scène européenne et internationale" et au "chaos" pour le pays.

La candidate du Rassemblement national franchit la barre du premier tour malgré une abstention élevée (entre 24 et 26,5% environ), la concurrence d'Eric Zemmour ...

"Le pouvoir des chats est un marqueur de cette campagne", note son porte-parole Sébastien Chenu. "Tout ça annonce un second tour particulièrement serré". Alors qu'Emmanuel Macron a mené une campagne jugée trop courte et prudente.

Les sondages ne s'étaient pas trompés. Comme attendu, Emmanuel Macron et Marine Le Pen ont remporté dimanche le premier tour de l'élection présidentielle en ...

En 2017, Emmanuel Macron avait largement dominé le face-à-face en se montrant beaucoup mieux préparé que son adversaire. La candidate du parti Les Républicains, Valérie Pécresse, conclut quant à elle sa campagne désastreuse avec 4,8 % des voix. « Soit on continue pour le même, soit on le remplace. « Dans ce moment décisif pour l’avenir de la nation, plus rien ne doit être comme avant. « Macron ne me donne pas satisfaction. L’ancien journaliste a appelé ses électeurs à voter pour sa rivale d’extrême droite au deuxième tour.

As in 2017 and 2002, debate over whether leftwing voters should back centrist, stay home or not vote at all.

A Harris Interactive study examined possible second-round intentions to vote in a runoff between Macron and Le Pen. It found 34% of Mélenchon voters would vote for Macron and 21% Le Pen, but 45% would abstain or spoil their vote. Only 8% of Éric Zemmour voters would support Macron and 84% Le Pen, and only 8% would abstain. A key campaign moment in the next two weeks will be a debate between Macron, 44, and Le Pen, 53, which could sway undecided voters. I don’t want Emmanuel Macron and I don’t want Marine Le Pen. For me they’re the same.” “I think I will not vote in the second round,” he said. Many will be asking themselves whether to select what they consider the least bad option between the centrist Emmanuel Macron or far-right Marine Le Pen, or stay at home and not vote at all.

Critics warn she's changed her style but not her far-right values. This time though, Le Pen appears much more palatable to many voters.

But I've met Melenchon supporters who've already told me they would vote for Le Pen in a run-off. By making the cost of living her central theme, she appealed to a broader church of voters. It's now or never for her - and many in her party feel this is their moment.

Juin 2022. L'invasion russe en Ukraine est dans son quatrième mois. Malgré les exactions et les crimes de guerre décriés, l'attention du monde s'est un peu ...

« Tous ceux qui sont les porteurs [de l’islamisme] et sont étrangers dans notre pays auraient intérêt à rentrer chez eux », a dit Mme Le Pen à une journaliste de BFMTV. Flanquée à droite par l’incendiaire Éric Zemmour, Marine Le Pen a réussi au premier tour à redorer son image en centrant son discours sur les inégalités sociales. Il s’oppose à la candidature de Mme Le Pen, mais n’appelle pas à voter pour Emmanuel Macron. C’est de loin le meilleur score de Mme Le Pen lors d’un premier tour. Au second tour, face à Jacques Chirac, il n’avait rallié que 17,8 % de soutien. En France, la nouvelle présidente, Marine Le Pen, annonce que son pays compte alléger les sanctions contre la Russie.

France's presidential runoff will likely see Emmanuel Macron face off against Marine Le Pen for a second election in a row, but the woman challenging ...

Le Pen visited the Russian strongman during her 2017 campaign for president She is best known as a member of the French far-right's first family. The strategy appears to have worked.

Economie, institutions, Europe… les projets des deux finalistes de l'élection présidentielle divergent sur bien des points, même si quelques convergences ...

Sur le thème des violences conjugales, en revanche, elle est favorable à ce que les conjoints et ex-conjoints violents soient jugés plus vite, quand le président sortant veut créer un fichier des auteurs de violences conjugales. Marine Le Pen est également favorable à l’expulsion systématique des « clandestins, délinquants et criminels étrangers », ainsi que des mineurs sans papiers. M. Macron entend lutter contre « les séparatismes », en contrôlant de manière stricte les financements étrangers du culte. Marine Le Pen, elle, ne propose plus directement de sortir de l’UE ou d’abandonner l’euro. Mais la candidate est en délicatesse sur ce terrain, puisqu’une large part de son programme resterait, en l’état, inapplicable dans le cadre des traités européens actuels. Elle compte aussi inscrire dans la Constitution les circonstances menant à la déchéance de nationalité. Il propose notamment d’assurer l’autonomie énergétique de l’Europe et de renforcer les capacités des armées européennes et leur coordination. Emmanuel Macron, en revanche, n’est pas un grand partisan du référendum. Il ne l’a d’ailleurs pas utilisé lors de son quinquennat. Marine Le Pen se démarque cependant d’Emmanuel Macron sur certains points. Les deux finalistes du second tour partagent certaines convergences de vue sur l’économie. Ainsi, tous les deux prônent une politique économique tantôt libérale, tantôt interventionniste. La candidate d’extrême droite veut, en outre, instaurer la proportionnelle et revenir au septennat (non renouvelable). Les deux candidats ont été critiqués par plusieurs organisations indépendantes pour les lacunes de leurs propositions environnementales. Les électeurs devront départager le 24 avril deux projets, dans l’ensemble radicalement opposés, même si certains sujets de convergence existent.

French president emerges in lead but tranche of far-right voters likely to transfer support to Le Pen.

Here, the far-right candidate appeared to be preaching to the converted, as just under 38% of the 871 people who voted locally chose her, and just under 22% Macron. Mélenchon has emerged as a potential kingmaker in third place after he rose to within a few points of Le Pen at just under 22% in a surprising 11th-hour surge. He also said he would “develop” his programme after listening to the “anger and despair” of those who had not voted for him, and particularly young people’s concerns over the environment. Others in the crowd that mobbed him as he walked around wanted to talk about the rising cost of living and concerns about jobs and health. We will be discussing how to revitalise our democracy and explain my manner of governing. “I want to convince our compatriots who voted for [Le Pen’s] the National Rally or who abstained to join us. Le Pen’s greatest support came from 50 to 59-year-old voters. More than 3.2 million voters who chose other far-right candidates including Éric Zemmour are likely to transfer their support to Le Pen. It was announced on Monday that Macron and Le Pen will go head-to-head in a televised debate four days before the vote, during which they will be questioned about their programmes. “We will be speaking about agriculture and being self-sufficient in production and inflation. But more than anger I am hearing worry.” “I see the divisions and anger in the country and I hear the voices of those who have voted for the extremes, even those who voted for Madame Le Pen,” he said.

Elle est à deux doigts de prendre sa revanche, largement battue en 2017 par Emmanuel Macron, qui l'avait écrasée lors d'un débat d'entre deux tours.

«Son programme n’a guère changé sur les fondamentaux du FN comme l’immigration et l’identité nationale, mais elle a choisi un autre vocabulaire pour le justifier», poursuit cette spécialiste de l’extrême droite. Face à un Emmanuel Macron, ancien banquier d’affaires, désigné «président des riches». Le FN, à sinistre réputation, devint «Rassemblement national» en 2018. Changer l’image du parti à travers une «normalisation», qui passait par un nouveau nom. «J’ai adulé cet homme», confie-t-elle. Elle a dû pour cela patiemment déconstruire ce qu’il avait bâti à coup de harangues antisémites ou racistes, parfois condamnées en justice.

Le président français sortant Emmanuel Macron l'emporterait au second tour de la présidentielle face à la candidate d'extrême droite Marine Le Pen.

La marge d'erreur est de 3%. Le report des voix des électeurs du candidat de la gauche radicale Jean-Luc Mélenchon - arrivé troisième au second tour selon les dernières estimations - est aussi très éparpillé: 33% pour M. Macron, 23% pour Mme Le Pen et 44% blanc, nul ou abstention, selon l'Ifop. Il serait de 27% pour le président sortant et de 21% pour Marine Le Pen, selon Opinionway. Le président français sortant Emmanuel Macron l'emporterait au second tour de la présidentielle face à la candidate d'extrême droite Marine Le Pen, avec un score compris entre 54% et 51% contre 46%-49%, selon des sondages réalisés dimanche après le premier tour.

We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest French presidential election news every morning. “The policies that I represent are the policies ...

Mais la prétendante d'extrême droite n'a pas cité son rival Eric Zemmour, descendu à 7%, qui a appelé à voter pour elle, ni la candidate LR Valérie Pécresse, ...

Marine Le Pen se rend lundi chez un agriculteur céréalier dans l'Yonne, pendant qu'Emmanuel Macron va sillonner les Hauts-de-France. A ce stade, l'électorat de Jean-Luc Mélenchon a l'intention de voter "à 34% pour Emmanuel Macron, à 30% pour Marine Le Pen, ce qui est plus qu'en 2017, et à 36% de rester à la maison", selon le directeur d'Ipsos, Brice Teinturier. " Le RN n'envisage pas pour autant des ralliements. Nicolas Bay, ancien vice-président du FN passé dans le camp Zemmour, assure qu'il n'y a "aucun marchandage" dans le soutien d'Eric Zemmour à Marine Le Pen dans la perspective des législatives. Mais cette dernière considère que ces départs chez son rival sont "sans retour", et qu'"aucun accord électoral ne se fera autour de (leurs) candidatures" éventuelles aux législatives. Dimanche soir, la candidate elle-même avait invité "tous ceux qui n'ont pas voté" pour Emmanuel Macron, de droite comme de gauche, à la "rejoindre", en défendant un projet de "justice sociale" et de "protection", clin d'oeil appuyé au candidat de la gauche radicale Jean-Luc Mélenchon, qui a réuni près de 22% des voix.

France's 2022 presidential race is down to the same 2017 candidates: incumbent Emmanuel Macron and the far right's Marine Le Pen.

In the wake of the results, there have been calls for a barrage to block Le Pen’s advancement. Populist Le Pen, who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was one of the first international politicians to celebrate Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency, has attempted to soften her image and that of her anti-immigration party, by focusing on economic issues and playing to the countryside. In 2017, Macron beat Le Pen in a landslide final with 66% of the vote. While he has not proposed a replacement, allies have suggested funding would come from the state. While the war in Ukraine continues to dominate most headlines, the French media has naturally been focused on the election throughout yesterday and today. Newspapers in far-flung corners of the globe are not giving as many column inches as in 2017 — which saw a historic first round in which France’s major political parties did not advance.

President Emmanuel Macron will face a runoff against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, following Sunday's first round of balloting.

BEARDSLEY: You know, she sort of avoided the war in Ukraine as much as she can. He's been a president of the rich and elites. And the third-place candidate very close to Le Pen is far-right (ph) leader Jean-Luc Melenchon. Believe it or not, he told his voters not to support the far right, but he didn't go so far as to endorse Macron. And the thing is the far left has a similar socioeconomic platform as the far right. They're against big finance and globalization that helps the elites and corporations. BEARDSLEY: Right. Well, Macron has 27 1/2 percent of the vote and Marine Le Pen 23 1/2. So it's a four-point spread. You know, basically, a populist would govern a major European nation. And this sets up a rematch for Macron and Le Pen, who faced each other in a presidential runoff five years ago. You know, first of all, the general context - French voters have moved to the right overall, and she's enlarged her base this time around. To the opposite, Marine Le Pen had a very long, solid campaign, and she kept it about bread-and-butter economic issues - purchasing power, the cost of living, which turned out to be the No. 1 concerns of the French. Here's her headquarters, where I was last night, her excited supporters chanting, Marine president. His whole schtick was about French identity and how immigration is ruining France, and Islam is incompatible with French values. French President Emmanuel Macron is heading into a runoff election with far-right rival Marine Le Pen. The two candidates beat out 10 others in a first round of voting yesterday. And then he was occupied with the war in Ukraine. He even refused to debate ahead of the first round.

Could Marine Le Pen be about to become France's first far-right president? She's battling Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the election.

While Le Pen and Macron offer two competing visions for France, the election will ultimately be decided by voters who backed other candidates. He's the one who should have been hammering her with it, but he's been too busy being the president and hasn't spent enough time being the candidate. She has spoken fondly of Vladimir Putin in the past, and more recently cautioned against imposing sanctions that could hurt the French economy. And that’s partly because Marine Le Pen has been working extremely hard for more than a decade to tone down the party’s image," said Murray. But this time it's too close to call: A poll from iFop for the broadcaster TF1 on Monday showed Macron at 51 percent, a lead so slim it's within the margin of error. She knows how to charm the target electorate."

La candidate socialiste Anne Hidalgo a appelé à voter Emmanuel Macron, comme le communiste Fabien Roussel et l'écologiste Yannick Jadot. La candidate LR Valérie ...

• Le candidat d'extrême droite Éric Zemmour a appelé ses électeurs à voter pour Marine Le Pen au second tour de la présidentielle le 24 avril, malgré ses "désaccords" avec rivale. De son côté, l'Insoumis Jean-Luc Mélenchon a déclaré qu'il "ne faut pas donner une seule voix à Madame Le Pen". La candidate LR, sous le seuil des 5% au premier tour déclenchant un remboursement par l'Etat des frais de campagne, a aussi déclaré être "endettée personnellement à hauteur de 5 millions d'euros".

PARIS — The relief felt by supporters of French President Emmanuel Macron as election results rolled in late Sunday has been short-lived.

“She was also the first to speak about purchasing power, and that has helped normalize her, and include her in the national debate.” His disappointing result can now be an asset for Le Pen, as he has galvanized voters who might have been discouraged by the National Rally’s mainstream drive. Five years ago, Le Pen was widely judged to have come off second best in a bruising televised clash. According to the pollster Lévy, Le Pen has broadened her appeal and can attract new voters from among the right, the left and those who abstained in the first round. Mélenchon urged his supporters not to back Le Pen, but many say they are still undecided and 18 percent of his voters have said they could vote for her. “We can beat Macron because another term for him would be a disaster for the French people and because we can show we are credible and capable of running the country.”