France’s Le Pen Would Beat Macron If French Presidential Vote Repeated: Poll

Wednesday afternoon, a surprise poll suggested French far-right leader Marine Le Pen would defeat President Emmanuel Macron if the presidential election of last year were repeated, according to an unconfirmed report.

This came amid fresh protests against the government’s pension reform as the government faced fresh opposition.

Will Le Pen Would Beat President Emmanuel  Macron

According to a survey conducted for BFM TV channel by Elabe group, Le Pen would receive 55 percent and President Macron 45 percent if they faced off in a run-off vote.

Last April, Macron easily defeated Le Pen by 58.5 percent to 41.5 percent to become the first French president in two decades to secure a second term.

Bernard Sananes, head of Elabe, told BFM that “Emmanuel Macron would struggle to retain his electorate if this hypothesis holds,” noting that only seven out of 10 would vote for him again. Furthermore, the blocking vote (against the far-right) would be much lower.”

He declared Le Pen’s gains “remarkable” and predicted she would gain ground across all electoral categories.

Sananes noted that the polling was hypothetical and should not be overinterpreted, given that the next presidential election is four years away and Macron won’t be eligible to run again.

But the results provide a glimpse into France’s political landscape, with Le Pen widely seen as the biggest victor from months of protests against Macron’s controversial plan to raise retirement age from 62 to 64 from current levels.

According to Elabe poll and an Ifop-Fiducial survey group released on Monday, far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has lost support among protesters and strikers.

The Ifop-Fiducial survey group also revealed a surge in support for Le Pen, who has declared her intention to run for president a fourth time in 2027.

Politicians from all sides have recently stressed that the 54-year-old stands to benefit from the uncertainty currently gripping America, as well as longstanding concerns about crime and immigration.

Le Pen has chosen to remain relatively low-profile during times of large protests and strikes, keeping her public statements to a minimum and upholding discipline among her 88 MPs in parliament who make up the largest single opposition group.

“At least I’ve succeeded in winning over my political opponents,” Le Pen quipped to AFP during an interview last month. “They seem to spend their lives telling everyone that I will be the next president.”

Allies report that the thought of a far-right leader replacing Macron at the 2027 election has caused anxiety for the 45-year-old president.

“Emmanuel’s issue” is the one that really troubles him,” a senior lawmaker who knows the president well told AFP.