French Voters Flock To Le Pen As Anti-Macron Sentiment Fuels Right-Wing Populism

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

French voters are increasingly more supportive of French nationalist Marine Le Pen and the conservative policies advocated by National Rally (RN), new polling suggests.

A new survey conducted by Ifop-Fiducial for the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) and Sud Radio revealed that more than four in 10 French voters (41 percent) want to see Le Pen dethrone incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron at the next election, an increase in popularity of seven percentage points from 2021.

Similarly, 42 percent of respondents confirmed they have voted for a candidate affiliated with Le Pen’s National Rally in the past, seven percentage points more than in 2021.

The numbers show a considerable swing towards the right of French politics, and they are a marked improvement for Le Pen who received 23.2 percent of the first-round vote in the presidential election last April.

She later received 41.5 percent of the second-round vote in a run-off with the victorious Macron, who was reelected with 58.5 percent of the vote.

The latest poll is consistent with other surveys that have shown the French electorate’s disillusionment with Macron, and more voters are seeing Marine Le Pen as a viable alternative to the status quo.

A poll published in April revealed that Le Pen would defeat Macron by double digits, with 55 percent of the vote, and members of President Macron’s Renaissance party are concerned at the current trajectory.

“I have the impression of a tsunami advancing,” said Jacqueline Macquet, a Renaissance MP.

Macron’s approval rating has failed to surpass 40 percent since May 2022, hitting a low of 27 percent last month before bouncing back to 30 percent. Much of the French electorate’s dislike towards the French president can be attributed to his widely unpopular pension reform, which has sparked mass protests and riots across the country for much of this year.

Marine Le Pen has reveled in the chaos that ensued following Macron’s decision to bypass a parliamentary vote on the dreaded pension reform. This, combined with her longstanding concerns about crime and mass immigration — albeit toning down her rhetoric to attract swing voters — has seen her popularity soar.

Specifically on immigration, Le Pen recently called for a referendum to enable the French people to have their say after polling published last week revealed that 63 percent of voters consider the country’s migration and asylum policy to be too lax.

“Opinion poll after opinion poll has shown that the French people overwhelmingly want a tightening of immigration policy,” Le Pen tweeted recently.

“The Macronie will not be able to lock itself in denial forever. The time has come to give the people back their say through a referendum,” she added.