At the moment things are looking better for Macron, the liberal pro-European president received 27.8 percent of the votes cast in the first round. His competitor, the right-wing and nationalist Marine Le Pen got 23.1 percent. Nearly a quarter of those entitled to vote did not show up two weeks ago. The big question is whether they will vote today and for whom.
bleak future
Declining purchasing power in France seems to be the main concern of voters. A majority of French people see the future as very bleak, according to polls. Last Tuesday, in the very last and important tv-debat, Le Pen therefore tried to placate the viewer by promising to raise salaries and lower taxes. Left-wing plans, with which she appeals to left-wing voters.
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And that is an important group of voters, because just like five years ago, with Le Pen and the centre-right Emmanuel Macron, there is no left-wing candidate left. They must therefore choose between right, or even more right. Left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who just lost to Le Pen and Macron, has called on his voters not to vote for Le Pen.
Ban on a headscarf
Le Pen hopes, however, that in Mélenchon’s supporters and among the doubters there will still be enough voters who want an alternative after five years of Macron. But in addition to the ‘left-wing’ purchasing power concerns, Le Pen also has radical plans for Islam and migration: among other things, she wants to ban the wearing of a headscarf. And when it comes to the housing market, Le Pen wants to introduce a ‘national priority’: 620,000 houses should be built for families with at least one parent of French nationality. No proposals that make the left-wing voter very enthusiastic.
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Macron argues that Le Pen is far-right and that she is luring voters with plans that are not a real solution to the decline in purchasing power.
Macron ahead in polls
The two rivals have not been allowed to campaign since the start of the weekend, as required by law. In France, opinion polls are no longer allowed just before the polls. The latest polls gave Macron far fewer votes than in 2017, but according to the latest figures he would win again with more than 55 percent of the votes cast, against Le Pen with more than 44 percent.
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