Le Pen before runoff: close to the people and humble

She wants to be less divided, appears humble and speaks of social justice: Le Pen doesn’t just want to win over conservative voters with this strategy. You could also use it to address another camp.

Marine Le Pen’s plan worked. She’s in the runoff again. Her recipe for success: an election campaign clearly focused on purchasing power; an image campaign that focuses on her love of cats and her closeness; a language that no longer divides and rushes, but wants to unite.

She remained true to this line during her appearance shortly after the results were announced: “I call on all French people – whether right or left, regardless of their origin – to join our large national collection movement,” she said. “Together, with enthusiasm and conviction, we will win this victory to bring about the power transition that France needs.”

Against elitism and arrogance

Le Pen wants to replace Emmanuel Macron, whose Achilles heel she has identified: elitism and arrogance. So she is down-to-earth and humble. She is largely certain of the votes of the far-right Zemmour supporters. Despite his fierce competition with Le Pen in recent weeks, Eric Zemmour called for the right-wing populist from the Rassemblement National to be elected in the second round after his defeat in the election yesterday.

She will also be able to unite some of the conservative voters from the Republican camp. But in order to get ahead in the run-off, the daughter of the right-wing extremist founder of the Front National, Jean-Marie Le Pen, has to try to win votes in the extreme left-wing camp as well.

“In this first round of voting, voters chose between two opposing visions of the future,” she said. “On the one hand, division, injustice and disorder – imposed by Emmanuel Macron in favor of a few. And on the other hand, the union of all French people for the great millennium idea of ​​social justice, which is supported and guaranteed by brotherhood.”

The values ​​of the left electorate

Unity, justice, brotherhood – Le Pen deliberately strives for the values ​​that left-wing voters hold sacred. According to the latest IPSOS poll, around 30 percent of those who voted for far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the first ballot would be willing to vote for Le Pen in the second ballot.

“What the French need isn’t toughness, it’s tenderness,” analyzes Le Pen’s comrade-in-arms Robert Ménard. “They want attention.” The fact that the right-wing populist wants to completely ban the Muslim headscarf in public spaces, put national law above EU law and prefer to give jobs to French people hardly plays a role in the feel-good election campaign. Instead, she’ll make sure people keep talking about her love for cats.