BLOG: The stakes of the upcoming French elections

Rose Hartwig-Peillon writes in her blog about the upcoming French elections. How does the war in Ukraine affect the French presidential election, is Macron already the clear winner of the election or is it not a certainty? Is there a lack of a proper national debate in France?

Although the political debate in the French presidential elections hardly focuses on European issues, the elections are nevertheless taking place at the end of its presidency of the Council. Thus, it is an election with significant European stakes. The outcome of these elections could profoundly change the political direction of the end of the French presidency, from Macronian Europeanism to the fierce Euroscepticism stemming from Jean-Luc Mélenchon (France Unbowed) or Marine Le Pen (National Rally). For now, President Macron is still leading the race in the voting intentions^[1]. Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, voting intentions for President Macron have kept him on top of the presidential race. The war in Ukraine could therefore be seen as a boon for President Macron’s reelection. 

 

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^[1] POLITICO. (2022, March 27). Politico poll of polls. POLITICO. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/france/.

Rose Hartwig-Peillon
Research Assistant