In April 10’s presidential election, French voters face a crucial choice

Exit polls indicate that Emmanuel Macron has a significant lead ahead of the first round. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon are trying to qualify for the second round

April 01, 2022 by Peoples Dispatch
Exit polls indicate that Emmanuel Macron has a significant lead ahead of the first round. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon are trying to qualify for the second round

On April 10, the French citizenry will vote in the first round of presidential elections in which 12 candidates are contesting. According to the latest opinion polls, incumbent president Emmanuel Macron from the La Republique en Marche (LREM) is likely to gain the most number of votes followed by far-right candidate Marine Le Pen from the National Rally (RN) and left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon of La France Insoumise (LFI) and the Popular Union. If no candidate gets over 50% of the votes in the first round, the two leading candidates will contest in a run-off on April 24.

Speaking to Peoples Dispatch, researcher and political activist Aurélie Dianara said the election presented a choice between five more years of neoliberal and authoritarian policies with one of the candidates of the right [including Macron] and a different road towards wealth distribution and climate action with the left. She noted that the election was being held amid the massive impoverishment of the working classes that took place during the term of Emmanuel Macron, and a worsening climate crisis.

The splintering of the right-wing and left-wing forces in the country has given a clear advantage to Macron. This is despite the massive protests from various sections of French society during his presidency. Macron’s policies have irked all sections of society, as witnessed in the working class protests against pension reforms, the middle classes in the Yellow Vest struggle, and youth-student groups‘ agitation against educational reforms and the COVID-19 crisis. There have been strikes by educators in schools and doctors and other hospital staff, as well as protests by journalists and liberal sections against draconian legislations like the Global Security Bill.

The poor ground support for Macron and his party became evident in the local polls in 2020 and the regional elections in 2021. Macronists were crushed by traditional center-right and center-left political parties like Les Républicains (LR) and the Parti Socialiste (PS). During the 2019 elections to the European Parliament, the widespread discontent against Macron generated by the Yellow Vest protests was capitalized on by the far-right RN.

However, in these elections, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen has faced a challenge from an even more right-wing candidate, Eric Zemmour from Reconquest (R!), as well as Valérie Pécresse of LR. Mélenchon is one among the candidates of left and progressive forces such as the Greens’ Yannick Jadot and Fabien Roussel of the French Communist Party. Anne Hidalgo of PS is also in contesting.

For the upcoming presidential polls, traditional parties like the LR and the PS have only managed a lackluster campaign. The candidates of the far-right, Le Pen and Zemmour, have focused on issues of ‘security,’ immigration and religion. Meanwhile, Macron continues to benefit from the fear of the victory of the right-wing. 

Meanwhile, Mélenchon  has presented a very different vision of society. His polling numbers have increased in recent weeks. He has proposed increasing the minimum income to Euros 1,400 and keeping the age of retirement at 60 instead of 64-65 that the right-wing candidates are endorsing. He has also promised a tax on the super rich and massive investment in renewable energy. Aurélie Dianara also noted his significant proposal of initiating a process to draft a fresh constitution. She said that even Mélenchon’s progress to the second round would make a difference as it would mean two weeks of discussion on social and ecological issues instead of immigration and racial issues.