Macron, 44, is directing voters to an innovative, globalized France at the head of a muscular European Union. Le Pen, 53, proposed an economically nationalist, more inward-looking platform that would be a fundamental change from the direction France has taken since the end of World War II.
Macron and Le Pen qualified for the runoff on Sunday after finishing first and second respectively in the first round of voting two weeks ago, holding a rematch of the 2017 race. Macron overtook Le Pen in this vote by almost two to one. .
Analysts expect a much more intense race this time.
The contest was expected to be an effective referendum on the rise of political extremes in France before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, sparking a change in national discourse.
Macron’s attempts at diplomacy pushed him away from the election trail, while Le Pen was forced to give up his previous support for Vladimir Putin. Le Pen has long been a big fan of the Russian president, even visiting him during his 2017 campaign, and her party borrowed from a Czech-Russian bank a few years ago.
She has since condemned Moscow’s decision to invade and defend the loan, explaining that her party has been forced to seek funding abroad because no French bank will approve the request.
Despite his previous support for Putin, Le Pen has taken a strong stand for victory, focusing on pocket book problems, moving away from the typical far-right platform focused on immigration, security and identity that dominated her 2017 campaign. However, she has not abandoned some of her most controversial policies, such as banning Muslim women from wearing headscarves in public.
French voters are particularly concerned about the cost of living, which has skyrocketed due to inflation and rising energy prices, and experts say it has done a good job of empathizing with French voters struggling to make ends meet, especially outside its base in former industrial centers where jobs have been lost due to globalization and technological progress. She also performed better in the presidential debate on Wednesday than in 2017, when her poor performance sealed her fate.
However, critics say Le Pen’s campaign has not adequately explained how Paris will pay for many of the proposed solutions. They also doubt whether they all comply with French and EU law.
And while Le Pen has given up some of his more controversial policies, such as leaving the EU and abandoning the euro, experts say many of her proposals would still put France on track with the EU.
Meanwhile, Macron is no longer the popular new child of the bloc. The former investment banker and economy minister must defend mixed political outcomes while convincing voters that his platform, led by big investment in industry and tackling the climate crisis, will mean more than just that.
During his first term, Macron’s ambitious plan to strengthen the autonomy and geopolitical weight of the European Union earned him respect abroad and at home.
But his domestic policies have led to greater divisions, and he remains a somewhat unpopular figure that many consider arrogant, elitist and out of touch. Macron’s work with the yellow vest movement, one of the longest-running protests in France in decades, has been widely criticized, and his recordings of the Covid-19 pandemic are unconvincing.
The French government spent billions of euros to support business during the pandemic, at the cost of increasing the national deficit. Macron’s signature policy during the crisis – requiring people to provide proof of vaccination in order to lead a normal life – helped increase the vaccination rate, but sparked a minority vote against his presidency.
While Macron won 27.8% of the vote in the first round to take first place, the results show great dissatisfaction with the status quo. Candidates from the far left and right compiled an unprecedented 57% of the ballots cast in the first round, while 26.3% of registered voters stayed at home – leading to the lowest turnout in 20 years.
The candidates ended their campaign on Friday. They are barred from campaigning on Saturday and Sunday, while the media are subject to strict reporting restrictions until the end of the election at 8pm local time.
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