Emmanuel Macron is vying to retain his post, but is facing competition from 12 others, including far-right’s Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour and the radical left’s Jean-Luc Melenchon. The 12 will face off on Sunday in the first round of polling and the top two will then battle in the second round on 24 April
Employees of a mailing company prepare electoral leaflets and ballot papers for the 12 presidential candidates in Rouffach, eastern France. French voters head to the polls on 10 April for the first round of French presidential election. AFP
Left, right and centre — 12 contenders from different political parties and different ideologies are all set to go up against one another for the French presidential election, with the first round of voting set for 10 April.
The election will see Emmanuel Macron, a centrist, vying to retain his position; a candidate twice convicted of inciting racist and religious hatred polling in second place; another hard-right stalwart in third, among others.
In keeping with past elections, the top two candidates will emerge on Sunday to compete for votes in the second round, which will be held on 24 April.
With just days to go before the election and campaigning on full thrust, here’s what you need to know.
How do the French elections work?
Elections in France are held on Sundays. This presidential election will be held across two rounds — one on 10 April and the second on 24 April.
In the first round, this year 12 candidates will go up against one another and about 48 million eligible French voters will decide their fate. The top two contenders will then face-off in the second round.
The contenders
As stated above, this year there are 12 candidates in the running:
o Nathalie Arthaud (Lutte Ouvriere – anti-capitalist)
o Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (Debout la France – right)
o Yannick Jadot (Europe Ecologie Les Verts – green)
o Anne Hidalgo (Parti Socialiste – socialist)
o Jean Lassalle (Resistons – independent)
o Marine Le Pen (Rassemblement National – far right)
o Emmanuel Macron (La Republique en Marche – centrist)
o Jean-Luc Melenchon (Union Populaire – radical left)
o Valerie Pecresse (Les Republicains – conservative)
o Philippe Poutou (Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste – anti-capitalist)
o Fabien Roussel (Parti Communiste Francais – communist)
o Eric Zemmour (Reconquete – far right)
Macron, the incumbent president, is hoping to achieve success and also become the first in 20 years to be re-elected. He has a mixed record coming into the elections; early in his presidency, he stirred up nationwide anger with a diesel tax, setting off the yellow vests movement — one of the most prolonged protests the country has seen for decades.
In the recent past, his inability to stop the AUKUS deal, which hurt France, and his diplomatic efforts to avert war in Ukraine have been considered as failures. But, Macron’s backing of a strong European Union and his refusal to indulge in political mudslinging has won him popular support.
Emmanuel Macron, the incumbent French president, is hoping to achieve success and also become the first in 20 years to be re-elected. AP
Figures from the latest polls put him in first place with 26.8 percent of the votes.
A big risk to Macron’s chances come in the form of Marine Le Pen. This is Le Pen’s third presidential election, and many consider a defeat would put an end to the 53-year-old’s political career.
Al Jazeera reports that the veteran far-right candidate has run a low-key campaign that has seen her tone down her usual hardline rhetoric on immigration, in favour of focusing on household income and purchasing power.
Marine Le Pen, the veteran far-right candidate, has run a low-key campaign, focusing on household income and purchasing power. AP
Marine Le Pen wants to waive income tax for those under 30 and exempt companies from tax contributions if they raise minimum wages by 10 per cent for many of their staff.
Another threat to Emmanuel Macron comes from far-right former TV pundit who has been repeatedly convicted of hate speech.
He is known for his uncompromising stance on Islam, children with non-French names and immigration. If voted to power, he plans to deport 100,000 immigrants each year, particularly to Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
French far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour has been repeatedly convicted of hate speech. AP
He has called for a ban on first names that he saw as un-French, telling one woman on live TV her parents had no right to call her Zina. He also wants dual-national repeat offenders to be stripped of French citizenship, as well as a ban on wearing the hijab in public.
Zemmour, as of date, only enjoys a 10.6 per cent favourable vote. His popularity took a nosedive since the war broke out in Ukraine. Earlier on, Zemmour said that Putin would never invade, and continued to defend him even after he did. With days passing, he surprinsingly made a U-turn, condemning Russia’s actions.
Representing the Left, is Jean-Luc Melenchon, a staunch critic of Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies and a prominent supporter of the yellow-vest protests. The hard-left veteran is polling in third place.
Jean-Luc Melenchon’s soft stance on the war in Ukraine could turn potential voters off, experts observe. AP
He is advocating for a 32-hour work week and for returning the pension age to 60. He also is advocating for an exit from NATO. Experts note that he is by far the strongest among an array of left-wing candidates, but his soft stance on the war in Ukraine could turn potential voters off.
The other candidates in the running are Valerie Pecresse, who said that she is ready to be the “first woman of the Republic”. While she has a pro-European stance, she is also known to take a hard line on issues like immigration, integration and Islam.
The other candidates are not faring well in the opinion polls, with Yannick Jadot and Anne Hidalgo enjoying only five per cent and two per cent votes.
What are the issues for French voters?
There are five burning issues that French voters will keep in mind while casting their ballot. Voters are most concerned about purchasing power and the high cost of living.
According to research conducted by the Ipsos group, 58 per cent of those polled said purchasing power is the most important topic to them. Healthcare and the environment followed, at 27 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.
Other issues include France’s global standing and immigration. Immigration has long been a burning subject matter for France.
With inputs from agencies
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