Following France’s first round of general elections, currently serving president Emmanuel Macron and his far-right counterpart Marine Le Pen find themselves head to head at a narrower margin than most expected.
The second round of elections will be a historic choice for the people of France. Macron, starting his campaign later than most of his opposition, still walked away from the first round with 28-29 percent of the vote. Meanwhile Le Pen shocked the nation by securing between 22-24 percent of the public’s support at the ballot box, indicating a much tighter margin than when the two last locked horns in the election 5 years ago.
So what are the French choosing between?
Macron is running against the backdrop of a difficult term. Aggressive COVID policies and rising cost of living prices have helped drive support for the far left and right respectively. France’s far left party walked away with 21 percent of the vote but did not qualify for the second round of elections.
Meanwhile, Le Pen has rallied her supporters over issues such as islamophobia and vaccine mandates; key playing cards for any right wing politician in 2022.
The two are scheduled to contest the final round on the 24th of April while the French public chew on their nails nervously in anticipation of who will lead the country into the increasingly uncertain 5 years ahead.