Three conditions would have to be met for Marine Le Pen to close an average eight-point poll gap and beat Emmanuel Macron in the run-off on April 24th
a photo with her!” shrieks a breathless teenaged girl, after securing a selfie with a beaming Marine Le Pen. The nationalist-populist leader, who on April 24th meets Emmanuel Macron in the run-off for the, was on a walkabout in a crowded Provençal village over the Easter weekend. To watch the celebrity welcome offered to Ms Le Pen, as she stoops to hug children or poses for photos with passers-by, is to understand how far she has softened and broadened her appeal.
There is still an eight-point gap for Ms Le Pen to close in the remaining days, however. For that to happen, according to Brice Teinturier of Ipsos, a polling agency, three conditions would have to be met. First, many of the 12.8m voters who abstained in the first round would need to turn out and vote heavily for Ms Le Pen. Second, she would in the second round have to hold on to significantly more of her first-round vote than Mr Macron does.
As the choice between Mr Macron and Ms Le Pen has turned from hypothetical to real, it has put her manifesto under greater scrutiny. The first of its 22 items is a clamp-down on immigration, specifically to end the right of foreign family members to join those legally in France and the automatic right of those born in France to get citizenship. This is wrapped up in a xenophobic discourse that repels much of the left.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
French election debate: Emmanuel Macron accuses Marine Le Pen of provoking ‘civil war’ with hijab banPresidential rivals clash over Russia and the cost of living in tetchy debate before Sunday's closely-fought election
Read more »
Marine Le Pen repeats pledge to BAN the Muslim headscarf in publicDuring a televised presidential debate, Le Pen confirmed that she stood by her controversial idea of banning the headscarf, which she called 'a uniform imposed by Islamists'
Read more »
Watch live as French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen holds rally in ArrasWatch live as French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen holds a rally in the northern city of Arras, three days before the election.Emmanuel Macron maintains a six point poll lead over Marine Le Pen, the far-right challenger, after a heated television debate on Wednesday.Mr Macron, the cosmopolitan, is campaigning in the multicultural Saint Denis suburb of Paris while Ms Le Pen, who positions herself as a voice of the neglected working class, is in the northern industrial region of Hauts-de-France.Sign up to our free newsletters by clicking here
Read more »
London’s French fear Le Pen election victoryFrench expatriates in London express their fears that a victory for nationalist Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s election could trigger the loosening of the country’s ties with Europe
Read more »
Macron and Le Pen offer final pitches to nation – latestFrenchElections Polls put Macron ahead of Le Pen after French presidential debate – latest 🔴
Read more »