Leading the news: Both candidates campaigned on Monday, with Macron visiting cities in the north that largely voted for Le Pen. He was criticized for neglecting the election campaign before the first round, focusing on Ukraine, while Lepen toured the country, criticized the high cost of living and went to the polls. Basic foods
- Macron did slightly better than expected given Le Pen’s delayed rise in the polls, surpassing it slightly more than in 2017.
Macron won 66% to 34% in the second round of 2017, but polls show a much narrower race this time around, with Macron leading 53% to 47%, according to Reuters and Le Pen, keeping up the momentum.
- Sunday’s results were a brutal blow to France’s traditional leading parties, the center-right Republicans and the center-left Socialists, who garnered just 6.5% of the vote.
Candidates who receive less than 5% of the vote are not eligible for campaign compensation and Valérie Pécresse – who at one point voted with Macron after winning the Republican nomination – told reporters on Monday that she was personally charged 5 million after receiving only 4.8%.
- The far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who finished third with 22%, emerged as the possible king and the only viable candidate on the decimated French left.
In his concession speech, he advised his supporters not to vote for Le Pen in the second round, but made no reference to Macron. Far-right candidate Eric Zemour called on his supporters to support Le Pen, while Pecresse, Greens candidate Yannick Zando and Socialist candidate Anne Indalgo backed Macron.
What to watch out for: At 73.7%, participation fell from 2017, but not as much as some analysts had predicted.
However, the abstentions are a danger for Macron in the second round. An Ifop poll conducted after the results were announced on Sunday found that 44% of Melanson’s voters were planning to run in the second round.
What follows: Macron and Le Pen will face off in a televised debate in prime time on April 20, a crucial moment before the run-off on April 24.
Le Pen’s poor performance in the televised debate against Macron in 2017 helped him move further into the final leg of the race. This year’s debate will have to be watched, given Le Pen’s most refined image and the fact that Macron was criticized for refusing to talk to his opponents before the first round.
