France in the election. Macron ‘head to head’ with Marine le Pen

Emmanuel Macron is aiming for what no French president has been able to do for 20 years, since Jacques Chirach was re-elected for a second term, writes DW. After the war in Ukraine, it seemed that he was very close to victory. Concerned French gathered around the president and his polls rose to 33%. But in recent days the situation has changed. Macron’s values ​​in polls have fallen below 30% and his rival, the populist Marine Le Pen, is following in the footsteps of her rival.

Macron and Le Pen have very different views on foreign policy and access to Russia, but also the European Union. However Le Pen has worked hard to change her image in the media, to make her right-wing extremist past forgotten and to remove the negative effect left behind by her father, Jean-Marie le Pen, the former head of Front National.

Le Pen will now neither leave the euro nor the EU. As for President Putin, who in 2017 lent her funds for her campaign, she stated that she has changed her mind. On the other hand, regarding foreign policy, she says, she wants a normal relationship with Russia, just like with Great Britain.

Although the values ​​of the two main candidates have normalized, polls see Macron as the winner of the second round at the end of April. But the gap in results is expected to be smaller than 5 years ago. Now it all depends on whether Macron will be able to mobilize voters, because many French people are still undecided. Macron responded to criticism from the Polish government that he was still in contact with Putin. “I stick to my choice to talk to Russia (…) and I have never been (Putin) a collaborator, like some others.” It was implied that it was about Marine Le Pen.

Many French see Macron as competent, but also as an arrogant member of the hated elite. Prior to becoming president, he held the post of Minister of Economy, but never ran for public office.

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