Presidential election in France: Macron and Le Pen go to run-off

In the race for the presidency in France, voters can choose between incumbent Macron and Le Pen in the runoff in two weeks. This is a rerun of the duel from 2017.

Incumbent Emmanuel Macron and right-wing populist Marine Le Pen are moving into the second round of the presidential election in France according to the first projections. According to AFP, according to initial information from the election research institutes, Macron received 27 to 29.7 percent of the votes. This puts him ahead of right-wing populist Marine Le Pen in the first round, who comes in at 23.5 to 24.7.

According to the projections, left-wing populist Jean-Luc Mélenchon is in third place with between 19.8 and 20.8 percent of the vote. The right-wing extremist journalist Eric Zemmour, who temporarily overtook Le Pen in the polls, is lagging behind at just 6.5 to 7.1 percent. The Green candidate Yannick Jadot, like the right-wing conservative Valérie Pécresse, achieved almost five percent of the votes. Far behind is the socialist Anne Hidalgo with about two percent. For the two former people’s parties, it is the worst result in the party’s history.

Runoff election on April 24th

Even if many French were dissatisfied with Macron’s first term and he did not inspire enthusiasm in the election campaign, the 44-year-old benefited from the weakness of other candidates and wishes for stability in the face of the Ukraine war. The right-wing populist Le Pen, on the other hand, tried to score points with more moderate tones than before and at the same time presented herself as an advocate for those who are suffering from inflation and rising prices for electricity, fuel and food. The other candidates played a much smaller role in the election campaign.

Macron and Le Pen will now face off on April 24 – a repeat of the 2017 runoff duel in which Le Pen ultimately lost to Macron. Polls predicted a much tighter outcome for this time. Again and again, the candidate who finished second in the first round won the run-off in the French presidential election.

A victory for the 53-year-old Le Pen would be a shock with significant consequences for Germany and Europe. Le Pen questions the decades of close cooperation with Berlin and is more interested in cooperation with Eurosceptics. In the European Union, France could change from being a driver to a brakeman under her, in a very different way than under the pro-European Macron.

In the escalating crisis between the West and Russia, Europe and the USA fear that the solid pro-Ukraine front will crumble.

First candidates recommend election of Macron

The three left-wing candidates Jadot, Hidalgo and Fabien Roussel immediately called for voting for Macron in the second round. “Because it is my lifelong commitment to the Republic and lest France fall into hatred of all against all, I urge you to vote against the far-right Marine Le Pen on April 24 by using the ballot for Emmanuel Macron “Hidalgo wrote to her supporters in the evening. She emphasized that this is a decision of responsibility that does not affect her left-wing beliefs.

The right-wing conservative Pécresse announced that she herself would cast her vote for Macron, but refrained from appealing to her supporters, some of whom polls indicate are more likely to vote for Le Pen. She warned of “disastrous consequences for the country and for future generations” if Le Pen came to power. France would then be “wiped” off the European and international stage.

The Zemmour camp, on the other hand, called for Le Pen to be elected. “Emmanuel Macron is the main opponent,” said Le Pen’s niece Marion Maréchal, who supported Zemmour in the election campaign, on TF1. “He’s the president of massive immigration, the president of insecurity, the president of deindustrialization.” So there is no reason to doubt who the voters should vote for in the second round.