election in France
Former French Prime Minister Ayrault warns of “occupational accident”
Warns of an “occupational accident” in the election on Sunday: France’s ex-Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. Photo: Matthias Rietschel/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Can right-wing Marine Le Pen win the presidential election? Former French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault believes that nothing is out of the question – and warns of post-election violence.
Former French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has warned that right-wing Marine Le Pen could win Sunday’s run-off for the French presidency. “An industrial accident is possible,” said the socialist to the “Tagesspiegel”.
Ayrault recalled that prior to the 2016 UK EU referendum, all the polls pointed to Britain remaining in the EU, and yet people voted for Brexit. “The extreme right in France wants to destroy the institutions of the Fifth Republic as well as the universalistic value system that has endured since the French Revolution,” warned the politician. In his words, electing Le Pen as head of state would lead to outbreaks of violence.
Polls recently saw Macron ahead with around 55 to 56.5 percent. He also got more votes than Le Pen in the first round. However, his victory is not a certainty. It is unclear, for example, how many people will cast a blank ballot and how many will not vote out of disappointment or frustration. In addition, in the past, the candidate who had only finished second in the first round of voting has always won the runoff.