Le Pen Back on Top in First Round
Following a recent surge in support for centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron, the latest polls show a similar boost in support for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen who is now back in the lead and expected to win 28% of the first vote with Macron following at 25%, 20% for Fillon and finally, Hamon last with 15%.
Fillon’s campaign has suffered significantly in the wake of the “Penelopegate” scandal. A poll conducted by Odoxa revealed that 75% of voters want Fillon to resign from the campaign. Furthermore, nice out ten questions believe that Fillon is dishonest with around 75% saying that he is not “convincing” or “close to their concerns”. However, despite sentiment turning against him, Fillon pledge that he will remain a candidate and will not resign from the campaign.
No Mention of The Euro by Le Pen
The first Presidential election debate held this week was noteworthy as far-right candidate Le Pen, who has previously been a vocal opponent to the euro, made no direct reference to the single currency at all. Instead of talking about reintroducing the Franc and using competitive devaluation, as she has done previously, Le Pen put forward more conventional proposals such as altering taxation on overtime work. The absence of an attack on the euro during this key debate marks a clear shift in Le Pen’s strategy as she looks to moderate some of the more extreme views which might damage her campaign.
Read more: https://www.orbex.com/blog/2017/03/french-elections-le-pen-dials-back-approach-live-debate/