The second round of the French presidential election takes place this Sunday. Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. (HL). The match pits centrist Emmanuel Macron against far-right representative Marine Le Pen.
This election is a crucial issue for the 47.9 million voters registered on the electoral lists who will have to choose their camp. Between the one who dictates a continuity for 5 years with Emmanuel Macron or the break by taking for the first time in the history of France, the path of the extreme right, ultra-nationalist, who would like the country to close in on itself- same.
The two candidates who oppose everything find themselves a second time in the second round of this ballot after a similar episode in 2017 which had hoisted Emmanuel Macron to power, when he was a novice in politics.
In 2022, this new confrontation which opposes the two camps is part of an explosive context, that of the war in Ukraine. Internally, many French people are unhappy with the social situation in the country since the rise in fuel prices, which comes down to the crisis between Ukraine and Russia.
This year, another element largely contributed to raising Marine Le Pen in the voting intentions, while her party had been hated until then, because it represented the ugly face of a stunted France, closed in on itself, racist and above all weak compared to other powers.
This rise of the extreme right can be explained by the preparation in advance, in recent years, of the French media and social landscape by certain audiovisual media which have given free rein to the extreme right represented by the polemicist Eric Zemmour.
The latter was used by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (formerly National Front) as a shield, to give the impression that he alone is the face of the far right, while the candidate showed herself under another face. , taking care of his communication, his way of presenting himself, while avoiding sharing his convictions.
For his part, Emmanuel Macron, delivers a balance sheet of 5 years in power in halftone for many French people who would have liked to see him opposed rather to Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the radical left. The president had to go through several hardships during his five-year term, in particular social crises with the yellow vests, and the pandemic which took two years of his mandate hostage, causing significant economic losses for the country.
The two candidates are neck and neck according to the polls, and the stake of this election whose outcome is not played will be the number of abstentions which, if it is important, will play in favor of Marine Le pen.
In addition, the vote of the voters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who came 3rd in the 1st round, following Marine le Pen with only 1 point difference, will also be decisive in widening the gap in the two profiles.
The polling stations will remain open until 7 p.m. (HL) everywhere in France and until 8 p.m. for major cities.
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