Macron and Le Pen Face Off Again in the Runoff After 5 Years... Spending Two Weeks of Destiny

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyeon-jin] Emmanuel Macron, the centrist French president seeking re-election, and Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate from the National Rally (RN), will face off again in the runoff election after five years. Macron will spend the crucial two weeks leading up to the runoff on the 24th (local time), as Le Pen, who is closing the gap in approval ratings with her softer image, pursues him.

On the 10th, the French polling agency Ipsos-Sopra Steria released projections based on early vote counts from selected polling stations as of 10:30 p.m. Macron was estimated to have 27.6% of the vote, and Le Pen 23.0%, placing them first and second respectively and advancing to the runoff on the 24th of this month. In the French presidential election, if no candidate secures a majority in the first round, the top two candidates proceed to a runoff.

President Macron appeared before his supporters that day to express his gratitude and said, "I will invite everyone, including those who did not support me in the first round," urging support in the runoff. Emphasizing that nothing is decided yet, he stated that populism and xenophobia are not France, warning, "Do not make mistakes. The contest over the next two weeks will be very important for our country and Europe."

Challenger Le Pen said the fate of society and civic life will be decided over the next two weeks, adding, "There is hope for the homeland to rise again." She continued, "I ask everyone who did not choose Macron today to join this movement," and appealed, "Whether left, right, or anything else, I ask the French people who participate in this great national and popular movement to join."

French polling agency Ipsos-Sopra Steria released the first-round French presidential election result estimates as of 10:30 PM local time on the 10th (Source: Ipsos)

In this vote, far-left candidate Jean-Luc M?lenchon of La France Insoumise (LFI) came in third with 22.2%, and ?ric Zemmour of Reconqu?te, once considered a rival to Le Pen, placed fourth with 7.2%. M?lenchon, who performed unexpectedly well, emphasized that no one should vote for Le Pen. Zemmour, who took some votes from the far-right camp, declared his support for Le Pen.

Currently, French polling agencies predict a very close runoff between President Macron and Le Pen. In the 2017 presidential runoff, Macron won decisively with 66.1% against Le Pen’s 33.9%. However, this time the gap between the two has narrowed significantly, reportedly down to as little as 2 percentage points, leading to forecasts that shifts in voter sentiment over the next two weeks could shake up the election landscape.

Meanwhile, the turnout for the first round of this presidential election is estimated to be around 73-74%, the lowest in 20 years since 71.6% in 2002. Experts previously noted that the low turnout in the 2002 French presidential election led to the unexpected advancement of Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine Le Pen’s father, to the runoff, suggesting that unforeseen events could occur again this time. However, the first round concluded with Macron and Le Pen advancing to the runoff.