Macron rattled as EU election defeat looms
Politico
PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron is turning up the heat on his lieutenants ahead of the European election as the far-right National Rally continues to build on its seemingly unstoppable momentum.
Macrons game plan ahead of the EU election for tackling the National Rallys unrelenting rise was to dramatize the fight against the far-right party, emphasizing the clash of ideologies and the Russian threat, according to several French officials. The twin aim was to beat abstention and mobilize Macrons own voters, and also dissuade voters from turning to rival pro-European candidates such as the Socialist Raphaël Glucksmann and the ecologists.
But several weeks into the campaign, the strategy has failed to deliver, according to recent polls, and alarm bells are starting to ring. A recent study by IFOP put the far right, led by National Rally President Jordan Bardella, at 30 percent of the vote vs. 21 percent for Macrons Renew coalition, with Glucksmann polling at 11 percent.
Six months ago, Renew was trailing the far right by 5 points, according to aggregated polls.