The firm projections that suggest Emmanuel Macron will face a run-off against Marine Le Pen in the second round of France’s presidential election has come to pass with voting concluded in France presidential election Sunday evening
Macron comes first with 28.4% of the vote while Le Pen receives 23.4%, according to national broadcaster France Télévisions
Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon comes in third place with about 20% of the votes
Macron is addressing supporters in Paris. Le Pen earlier vowed to put France “in order”
Macron is vying to become the first French president to be re-elected in 20 years but faces a strong challenge from Le Pen
Turnout has been down compared to the last presidential election in 2017.
Macron has won this first round with 28% – but as an embattled incumbent, no longer the candidate of hope and change.
He is well placed in the centre to build a winning majority; but how far will leftist voters disappointed with the rightward bias of Macron’s first term rally this time to see him over the line?
Far-right candidates have secured their highest ever first-round aggregate (33%), leaving Macron’s promise to reduce the far right ringing hollow. Marine Le Pen (23%) has raised her first-round score from 21% in 2017. How far can she raise her then second-round score (34%), and where will her wider reserves of support lie?
The traditional parties of government have suffered a historic, humiliating defeat (Socialists 2%; Republicans 5%). Both are in existential crisis. Will these once hegemonic parties perish or can they find redemption in the June parliamentary elections?
At 26%, abstention was close to a presidential record.
Following record abstention across all mid-term elections, this confirms a disengagement within French politics that has worsened under Macron’s presidency.
How will abstention impact the second round and, if high, could it raise questions over democratic legitimacy by deprivingFrench far-right candidate Eric Zemmour has now, as expected, urged his supporters to vote for far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the second round of the presidential election.
He said however that his party would continue to fight for its ideas, saying its position was unique and not represented elsewhere.
(BBC)
