Macron

French voters cast their ballots Sunday. Polls show incumbent president Emmanuel Macron ahead of his rival, populist candidate Marine Le Pen.

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Emmanuel Macron is closer to winning another term at the helm of Europe's second-largest economy as nationalist leader Marine Le Pen runs out of time to ...

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, while not explicitly endorsing the president, has said no one should give “a single vote” to Le Pen. During a stop in Roye, Somme, on Thursday Le Pen returned to her the bread and butter issues that have been her focus throughout the campaign, posing for photos and signing posters with truck drivers. “We shouldn’t get used to the advance of far-right ideas.” Macron is leading Le Pen 56.2% to 43.8%, according to a polling average calculated by Bloomberg on April 21. Le Pen needed to land a major blow in the presidential debate on Wednesday night to catch up, but failed to do so. Yet their different world views came into sharp focus, especially on Europe. Le Pen says she wants to transform the European Union into an alliance of nations.

Welcome to today's Morning Brief, where we're looking at France's presidential election, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with British Prime ...

Jansa has been one of the most outspoken European leaders in support of Ukraine and was among the first to visit Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, after Russia’s invasion. The judge ruled that by not providing a charger with the purchase, Apple had violated Brazil’s consumer protection laws, which says that certain electronic devices cannot be sold without chargers if they are critical to the device’s operation. Slovenians vote for a new parliament on Sunday, with Prime Minister Janez Jansa’s Slovenian Democratic Party in a close race with the environmentalist Freedom Movement. Both parties are polling at around 26 percent, all but assuring a coalition government. Modi meets Johnson. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, today in New Delhi. The two are expected to discuss defense and energy ties as well as prospects for a bilateral trade deal, with formal negotiations resuming next week. The end for Le Pen? As the election of U.S. President Joe Biden in 2020 showed, a victory for a centrist candidate doesn’t magically depolarize an electorate. The aid also includes dozens of “ Phoenix Ghost” drones, unmanned aerial combat vehicles “rapidly developed by the Air Force in response specifically to Ukrainian requirements,” said U.S. Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby. A fire at a defense research facility in Tver—about 100 miles from Moscow— killed seven people and injured 25, according to Russia’s TASS news agency. The shipments will come too late for Ukrainians in Mariupol, where new mass graves were reported on Thursday using satellite imagery. The worry for Macron is not so much that they would go over to Le Pen but that they simply won’t vote at all. (To understand why Le Pen might remain a serial loser, read Emile Chabal and Michael C. Behrent’s analysis from earlier this week.) Just under half of his first round voters don’t intend to cast a ballot on Sunday, but two-thirds of those who plan to vote say they’ll back Macron. Her ideological allies in Hungary and Poland have too.

The French president has struggled to cut through to younger voters, especially on key areas like climate change and social inequality.

At the last election, in 2017, more than 25 percent of those aged between 25 and 29 years failed to cast their votes in either of the two rounds. But above all, he is making a late push for the youth vote, a part of the electorate he has struggled to win over. “There is a perception among young people that Macron has not conducted any policy that is in favor of youth,” said Jean-Daniel Lévy, political and polling director at analytics firm Harris Interactive. “They feel that he did not embody their concerns on the environment … he did not speak about it, he did not act on it.”

Emmanuel Macron pulled out all the stops to try to consolidate his lead over far-right leader Marine Le Pen ahead of the final ballot of the French ...

A big question is how many of France's 48.7 million eligible voters won't cast ballots because of their aversion to both candidates. Associated Press.

Because on the 24th of April, with another candidate, it will be a different choice.” but suddenly paused in his speech to address protesters who deployed a banner opposing the privatization of state services.Advertisement “This reform of Emmanuel Macron is a deep social injustice.” In a a gritty mood, she lashed out at Macron’s planned pensions reform, which she described as an effort to make the French work forever.Advertisement She responded to criticism that her policies did not hold up under scrutiny.Advertisement Le Pen, who was behind Macron in the latest opinion polls, campaigned in her northern France stronghold in a last-ditch effort to close the gap.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on European countries to maintain dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin to avoid risking “a new world war.”.

Both candidates will hold their final election rallies on Friday before campaigning stops at midnight. If that happens, “it will be the non-Europeans who will build peace in Europe … So, even if it is very hard, even if it is sometimes ineffective, you have to insist,” he said in an Macron said that France had sent a lot of military equipment to Ukraine, adding: “If we had not done so, Kyiv would probably have already fallen.” He said Paris and Berlin had decided not to interfere directly in the war and instead send military equipment to Kyiv.

The president should be attacking his far-right opponent's policies. Instead, he is normalising them, says professor of French politics Philippe Marlière.

This sort of political confusion is a recipe for disaster at the ballot box. He has given free rein to members of the government who have used far-right rhetoric, and he has supported the adoption of repressive policies on Islam, immigration and law and order. He cannot afford to be complacent, yet he seems oblivious to the danger he is in. Macron’s critics argue that his policy shift to the right and his aloof, Jupiterian style of government are partly to blame for the rise of the far right. Meanwhile, most of the commentary about the debate failed to point out that Le Pen is a far-right candidate who has extreme views on immigration, Islam, civil liberties, the EU and Putin’s Russia. This shows that the normalisation of Le Pen’s far right movement is at an advanced stage. By adopting a technocratic and professorial rhetoric, Macron depoliticised the debate.

PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron is in the pole position to win reelection Sunday in France's presidential runoff, yet his lead over far-right rival ...

PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron is in the pole position to win reelection Sunday in France's presidential runoff, yet his lead over far-right rival ...

No matter the outcome of Sunday's election, the appeal of extremist candidates is worrying for the health of transatlantic liberalism.

“My main takeaway from the Mélenchon group is that they hate Macron way more than they hate Le Pen,” Mathieu Lefèvre of More in Common, a think tank studying polarization in Europe and America, told me about the interviews he conducted ahead of the vote. The irony—and, depending on tomorrow’s outcome, the tragedy, perhaps—is that while so many French voters have been blinded by personal animus and numbed by domestic haggling, the most potentially destructive stakes of this election remain global in scope. Le Pen again cast herself as a populist “obliged to be the spokesperson of the people,” intent on liberating Muslim women from the veil and solving a cost-of-living crisis in the provinces. “Mélenchon does not intend to stop at third place,” Le Monde reported on April 19 after the candidate directly appealed to voters to elect him prime minister in the legislative elections to be held this June. “If this cohabitation does not suit the president, he can leave, I will not leave,” Mélenchon warned. Mélenchon, for his part, condemned the Russian invasion, and continued to reap the benefits of his post-2018 shift in rhetoric about mass migration. Apparently too busy to campaign and loath to debate while doggedly keeping the lines of communication open with Moscow (and posing for Zelensky-esque photo ops in jeans and hoodies), he quietly put out a letter declaring his candidacy a mere 24 hours before the deadline.

PARIS -- President Emmanuel Macron is in the pole position to win reelection Sunday in France's presidential runoff, yet his lead over far-right rival ...

In an opinion piece Thursday in several European newspapers, the center-left leaders of Germany, Spain and Portugal urged French voters to choose him over his nationalist rival. “A great number of the people who are going to vote for Macron, they are not voting for this program, but because they reject Marine Le Pen.” He says that's the only way to keep benefits flowing to retirees. The question is a hard one, especially for leftist voters who dislike Macron but don’t want to see Le Pen in power either. Political analyst Marc Lazar, head of the History Center at Sciences Po, told the AP he thinks that Macron is going to win again. He said he will also keep pushing for a more powerful Europe.

By Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - The French will decide on Sunday whether to re-elect pro-business centrist President Emmanuel Macron or blow up decad...

However, he clashed with Washington, London and Canberra after Australia ditched a massive submarine deal with France. She has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but says Moscow could be an ally again post-war. “So I want us to work more.” “But it’s not presented that way.” LE PEN : She insists she has no “secret agenda” for France – a founding member of the EU – to leave the 27-nation bloc, its single currency or its passport-free Schengen zone. Teachers’ salaries would rise 15% over 5 years.

FILE - A torn front page ad shows incubent President Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen as the environmental group Extinction Rebellion takes part ...

In an opinion piece Thursday in several European newspapers, the center-left leaders of Germany, Spain and Portugal urged French voters to choose him over his nationalist rival. “A great number of the people who are going to vote for Macron, they are not voting for this program, but because they reject Marine Le Pen.” He says that's the only way to keep benefits flowing to retirees. The question is a hard one, especially for leftist voters who dislike Macron but don’t want to see Le Pen in power either. Political analyst Marc Lazar, head of the History Center at Sciences Po, told the AP he thinks that Macron is going to win again. He said he will also keep pushing for a more powerful Europe.

By Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron, a former investment banker who was elected in 2017 on a promise to be neither of the left ...

* Put the next prime minister directly in charge of “green planning” to make France the “first great nation”. Stop using oil, coal and gas * Further loosen labour market rules and reform unemployment insurance to make payments vary according to the state of the economy * Raise the minimum pension age to 65 from 62 and increase the minimum monthly pension to 1,100 euros ($1,187).

Polls show Macron is still on course for victory in the second round of the country's presidential election.

Also in 2016, U.K. voters chose to leave the EU by a margin of four points in a widely unexpected result. In 2017, Macron defeated Le Pen by a margin of more than 20 points. The elder Le Pen was expelled from National Rally in 2015 following a dispute with his daughter. He also compared a potential Le Pen victory to the U.K. voting to leave the European Union ( EU). Le Pen is the leader of the far-right party, National Rally, and this is the second time she and Macron have faced each other in a presidential runoff. Macron made the remarks on Friday in the medieval village of Figeac as the presidential campaign drew to a close.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is in the pole position to win reelection today in the country's presidential runoff, yet his lead over far-right ...

In several European newspapers on Thursday, the center-left leaders of Germany, Spain and Portugal urged French voters to choose him over his nationalist rival. Macron has vowed to change the French economy to make it more independent while still protecting social benefits. He says that’s the only way to keep benefits flowing to retirees. Political analyst Marc Lazar, head of the History Center at Sciences Po, said that even if Macron is reelected, “there is a big problem,” he added. The question is a hard one, especially for leftist voters who dislike Macron but don’t want to see Le Pen in power either. All opinion polls in recent days converge toward a win for the 44-year-old pro-European centrist — yet the margin over his nationalist rival varies broadly, from 6 to 15 percentage points, depending on the poll.

By Ingrid Melander, Elizabeth Pineau and Layli Foroudi PARIS (Reuters) - The French vote on Sunday in an election that will decide whether pro-Europea...

But she added that many of her clients would vote for the far-right candidate because they dislike Macron. Le Pen, who has also been criticised by Macron for her past admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin, rejects accusations of racism. Shockwaves would be felt across Europe and beyond. “She is close to the people. “Emmanuel Macron is considered arrogant by more than one in two voters and Marine Le Pen remains scary for half of them.” She has also zeroed in on Macron’s abrasive leadership style, which she says shows an elitist contempt for ordinary people.

A victory by Emmanuel Macron in Sunday's runoff would make him the first French president in 20 years to win a second term.

In several European newspapers Thursday, the center-left leaders of Germany, Spain and Portugal urged French voters to choose Macron over his nationalist rival. The question is a hard one, especially for leftist voters who dislike Macron but don’t want to see Le Pen in power either. Macron has vowed to change the French economy to make it more independent while still protecting social benefits. He says that’s the only way to keep benefits flowing to retirees. All opinion polls in recent days converge toward a win for the 44-year-old pro-European centrist incumbent, yet the margin over his nationalist rival varies broadly, from 6 to 15 percentage points. No campaigning is allowed through the weekend, and polling is banned at this point. A Le Pen victory would be a “traumatic moment, not only for France, but for European Union and for international relationships, especially with the USA,” Lazar said, noting that Le Pen “wants a distant relationship between France and the USA.” In his victory speech in 2017, Macron had promised to “do everything” during his five-year term so that the French “have no longer any reason to vote for the extremes.” His first term was rocked by the “yellow vest” protests against social injustice, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. It notably forced Macron to delay a key pension reform, which he said he would relaunch soon after reelection, to gradually raise France’s minimum retirement age from 62 to 65. He said that means Macron will face a “big level of mistrust” in the country. A Macron victory in this vote — which could have far-reaching repercussions for Europe’s future direction and Western efforts to stop the war in Ukraine — would make him the first French president in 20 years to win a second term. French President Emmanuel Macron is in the pole position to win reelection Sunday in the country’s presidential runoff, yet his lead over far-right rival Marine Le Pen depends on one major uncertainty: voters who could decide to stay home.

French citizens are heading to the polls Sunday in a presidential election set against the backdrop of war in Ukraine and a cost of living crisis.

If Macron is re-elected he will become the first incumbent in two decades to return for a second term. "Each of the two candidates need to try to correct their perceived weakness. Macron told Le Pen during the two-hour talks: "When you speak to Russia, you are speaking to your banker," according to a translation. "Le Pen, this time round, can play the card of change much more than Macron," he said. Back then, Macron crushed Le Pen's party (National Front which has since been rebranded National Rally) with 66.1% of the votes, to 33.9%. The last days of the campaign trail have seen Le Pen's old links with Russia and President Vladimir Putin resurface.

French voters are heading to the polls for the second time in two weeks to conclude a presidential election in which incumbent centrist Emmanuel Macron has ...

French voters will choose between two very different visions for their country during Sunday's presidential runoff election, as the centrist President ...

While Macron won 27.8% of the votes in the first round to take the top spot, the results indicated major voter discontent with the status quo. Macron's signature policy during the crisis -- requiring people to show proof of vaccination to go about their lives as normal -- helped increase vaccination rates but fired up a vocal minority against his presidency. Macron's handling of the yellow vest movement The former investment banker and economy minister must defend a mixed political record while also convincing voters that his platform, headlined by major investments in industry and fighting the climate crisis, won't simply mean more of the same. However, she has not abandoned some of her most controversial policies, like banning Muslim women from wearing headscarves in public. She also performed better in Wednesday's presidential debate

We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest French presidential election news every morning. Voters in France are going to the polls to ...

France began voting in a presidential runoff election Sunday in a race between between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

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