French centrists' feuding increases odds of Le Pen-Melenchon runoff
A new poll shows centrist candidates splitting support, with Philippe at 16% and Attal at 12%, as Le Pen and Mélenchon strengthen their runoff prospects.
- Infighting among French centrist candidates is splitting the mainstream vote, raising the risk of a presidential runoff between Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Melenchon.
- Tensions between former prime ministers Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal have intensified as they battle for the centrist ticket, with Philippe falling to 15% support in an IFOP-Fiducial poll for Figaro.
- Political analysts blame the collapse on voter weariness with President Emmanuel Macron and a lacklustre campaign strategy. Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, a political communications specialist at Sciences Po, said, "There's panic on board because there was no scenario planned for this."
- Former lawmaker Jean-Baptiste Moreau described the situation as "catastrophic," warning that candidates attacking one another in the media fuels fragmentation as both collapse in the polls.
- With Glucksmann and Retailleau both targeting the moderate electorate, Perrine Goulet, a lawmaker from Macron ally MoDem, urged moderates to unite, warning, "The danger is simply too great" of an LFI-RN second round.
39 Articles
39 Articles
The division among centrist candidates in France is increasing the likelihood that the 2027 presidential election will end in a runoff between far-right Marine Le Pen and radical left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. According to the latest polls, Le Pen would almost certainly reach the second round, while Mélenchon is gradually overtaking the main centrist contenders. Edouard Philippe, Emmanuel Macron’s former prime minister and so far the leading ca…
CONFLICTS among French centrists are dispersing moderate votes and opening the way for Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon to the second round of elections.
Dissensions broke out among the center candidates preparing for the presidential elections in France, fragmenting the vote of the traditional electorate and increasing the likelihood of a confrontation in...
French centrists divided as Le Pen and Melenchon gain in polls
Infighting has broken out among centrist candidates for France’s presidential race, splitting the mainstream vote and making a runoff between far-right Marine Le Pen and hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon more likely. Opinion polls before next April’s presidential election show Le Pen is nearly certain to qualify for a second-round runoff in May and that Melenchon is consistently nudging ahead of mainstream candidates. Centre-right Edouard Philippe, P…
French centrists' feuding increases odds of Le Pen-Melenchon runoff
Infighting has broken out among centrist candidates for France's presidential race, splitting the mainstream vote and making a runoff between far-right Marine Le Pen and hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon more likely.
Results put the two leaders in a prominent position for the elections scheduled for 18 April 2027, the second round of which is scheduled for 2 May.
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