Macron and Le Pen 'have a lot in common' says Mélenchon
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
In the run-up to France’s latest presidential election, pollsters have reported that many of Emmanuel Macron’s rivals have been able to narrow the distance between themselves and the incumbent president. The French public will cast their initial ballots on Sunday with the election likely to drag on to a second-round run-off vote.
Who are the betting favourites?
According to the Betfair Exchange, the incumbent President is the favourite with current odds of 3/10.
Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen – candidate for the National Rally – is viewed as Mr Macron’s strongest challenger at 7/2.
Sam Rosbottom, a spokesman for the betting agent, said: “Macron remains the odds-on favourite with Betfair for the French election but Le Pen’s odds are shortening consistently suggesting this is very much a two horse race.
“The latest betting suggests the prospect of a victory for Le Pen should not be dismissed.”
Elsewhere, Paddy Power also has Mr Macron as the favourite to win the election overall at 1/5.
He’s closely followed by Ms Len Pen, at 3/1, and the right-wing TV pundit Eric Zemmour at 66/1.
Other candidates who are running in the vote include Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is representing the leftist France Unbowed party, and Les Republicans nominee Valérie Pécresse.
Who is Emmanuel Macron?
France’s current President rocked the French political landscape in 2017 when he ran for election without the support of a major party and won.
His quickly assembled centrist party, Republique en Marche, would also go on to win that year’s Parliamentary elections.
During his time in office, Mr Macron has been viewed by the public to have a centre-right political leaning.
DON’T MISS:
Children struggling with the basics after months in lockdown [INSIGHT]
Macron dubbed ‘coward’ as drops Putin aggression [NEWS]
Terrified Scholz strengthens Germany’s bunker infrastructure [EXPLAINED]
Who is Marine Le Pen?
In 2011 Ms Le Pen became president of the anti-immigration right-wing National Front party, taking over from her father, and renamed it the National Rally seven years later.
This is Ms Len Pen’s third bid to become French President and she has continued to campaign on the party’s traditional line of curbing immigration and ‘keeping France for the French’.
The latest polls suggest that Mr Macron and Ms Le Pen are likely to face off in a second-round run-off vote – as was the case in 2017.
Mr Macron emerged victorious on that occasion, winning with 66 percent of the vote to 34 percent.
In France, the scale of the vote usually means that French presidential elections involve two rounds of voting.
Should no candidate be able to declare with a majority of the vote then a second-round run-off, featuring the two leading contenders from the first round, will be staged two weeks later (Sunday, April 24).
Source: Read Full Article