Marine Le Pen, French Far-Right Leader Closing Gap on Macron: Polls, France24

[appalachiablue]

- France24, March 29, 2022.

Paris (AFP) – Veteran French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is closing the gap on President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a possible election duel between the two of them next month, two new polls show. Macron has long been favourite for the two-round election on April 10 and 24, with his handling of the diplomatic crisis caused by the war in Ukraine seen as boosting his chances.

But his estimated margin of victory over Le Pen is narrowing sharply as the election approaches, two polls published this week suggested. If they faced each other in the second round, a poll by the Ifop-Fiducial group published on Monday indicated Macron would win by just 53 percent versus 47 percent for Le Pen, who had gained three points in a week. A poll on Tuesday by Ipsos Sopra-Steria, meanwhile, showed Macron winning by 56% to 44%, again with Le Pen up by around three points in a week.

Aides to Macron sought to play down the change, with one advisor saying Tuesday that it was a simple correction after a sharp rise in support following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

"We knew he wasn't going to stay so high," the advisor told AFP on condition of anonymity. But the shift in momentum is being seized on by Le Pen and her anti-immigration National Rally party, with between a quarter and a third of voters believed to be undecided about how to cast their ballots. "I have never been so close to victory," Le Pen told Le Parisien newspaper in an interview published Saturday. She has placed less emphasis on her traditional themes of Islam and immigration in favour of a grassroots campaign focused on the economic problems faced by low-income families and the working classes.

Inflation fears: Macron has largely shunned the election campaign so far, but during his first public walkabout to meet voters on Monday in the eastern town of Dijon, he heard plenty of complaints about inflation and rocketing fuel prices. France's President Emmanuel Macron has largely shunned the election campaign so far, but during a public meeting with voters, he heard plenty of complaints about inflation and rocketing fuel prices...

More, https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220329-french-far-right-leader-le-pen-closing-gap-on-macron-polls
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- The Guardian, Macron kickstarts re-election campaign as Le Pen gains ground. Voters trust French president over his handling of war in Ukraine but accuse him of ducking political debate at home,
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/29/macron-kickstarts-re-election-campaign-as-le-pen-gains-ground
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- Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen, b. 5 Aug. 1968, sometimes referred to by her initials MLP, is a French lawyer and politician who has been President of the National Rally (previously the National Front) since 2011. She has been the member of the National Assembly for the 11th constituency of Pas-de-Calais since 2017.

She is the youngest daughter of former party leader Jean-Marie Le Pen and the aunt of former FN MP Marion Maréchal. Le Pen joined the FN in 1986.. Described as more moderate than her father, Le Pen has led a movement of "de-demonisation of the National Front" to soften its image, based on renovated positions and renewed teams, as well as expelling controversial members accused of racism, antisemitism, or Pétainism. She expelled her father from the party in August 2015, after he made new controversial statements.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Le_Pen

[dalton99a]

1. A Russian bank literally financed her last campaign

A now-defunct laundromat named the First Czech Russian Bank (FCRB)

[appalachiablue]

2. Thanks for that, not surprising. Excell cartoon!

[SergeStorms]

3. Not again.

I'd hoped we'd heard the last about her. Like a bad rash, they just keep coming back.

Russia is broke right now though, so maybe her big push-back will peter out. I certainly hope so, for France's sake.

[appalachiablue]

4. Afraid so, she never goes...away!! Macron, go to work