https://sputnikglobe.com/20240618/macron-on-the-ropes-as-support-for-war-in-ukraine-takes-political-toll-1119002695.html
Macron ‘On the Ropes’ as Support for War in Ukraine Takes Political Toll
Macron ‘On the Ropes’ as Support for War in Ukraine Takes Political Toll
Sputnik International
The French president has been criticized for calling early elections, which detractors say could elevate the controversial Marine Le Pen’s party into power.
2024-06-18T04:13+0000
2024-06-18T04:13+0000
2024-06-18T04:13+0000
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Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy has warned the country could descend into “chaos” as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to fend off the right in upcoming snap elections.The electoral contest, announced by Macron after his centrist party took a drubbing in EU parliamentary elections earlier this month, threatens to see Marine Le Pen’s National Rally take legislative power. Polling currently show’s Le Pen’s party leading surveys with the support of 35% of the electorate, with Macron’s centrist Renaissance party trailing in third with only 19%.“Giving the floor to the French people to justify the dissolution is a curious argument since this is precisely what more than 25 million French people have just done at the polls,” said the ex-president, who served from 2007 to 2012, to a French newspaper. “The risk is great [that] they confirm their anger rather than reverse it.”Columnist and political cartoonist Ted Rall joined Sputnik’s The Critical Hour program Monday to discuss the development, the latest in a series of political controversies for Macron.“There's no Jordan Bardella without a Marine Le Pen,” said Rall, referring to the party leader who would become Prime Minister if the National Rally prevails later this month.Le Pen remains a highly controversial figure in France. The 55-year-old politician inherited leadership of her party, previously known as the National Front, from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, a right-wing figure known for statements criticizing immigration and downplaying the Nazi Holocaust.The elder Le Pen’s shock advancement to the second round of the 2002 French Presidential election prompted an 82% victory for his opponent Jacques Chirac as voters flooded to the polls to prevent a right-wing win.Elections in 2017 and 2022, in which Marine Le Pen advanced to the second round, similarly prompted a victory for Macron, although with a smaller margin each time. Le Pen’s 41% of the vote in 2022 represented the high-water mark for her nationalist party. Observers worry she is poised to prevail the next time she runs.“They haven't been engaged in [a war] in a long, long time,” he continued. “Ukraine's a hot war. It's a real war. It's not like a police action, like going to quell the natives in New Caledonia. This is real serious. Frenchmen will be coming back in body bags from Ukraine.”Currently riding in second place in the polls, a left-wing alliance known as the New Popular Front has risen to 25% support among the public. Former National Assembly member Jean-Luc Mélenchon is leading the bloc of progressive parties, including the Socialist Party, the French Communist Party, pro-environmental groupings and Mélenchon’s France Unbowed.
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Macron ‘On the Ropes’ as Support for War in Ukraine Takes Political Toll
The French president has been criticized for calling early elections, which detractors say could elevate the controversial Marine Le Pen’s party into power.
Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy has warned the country could descend into “chaos” as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to fend off the right in upcoming snap elections.
The electoral contest, announced by Macron after his centrist party took a drubbing in EU parliamentary elections earlier this month, threatens to see Marine Le Pen’s National Rally take legislative power. Polling currently show’s Le Pen’s party leading surveys with the support of 35% of the electorate, with Macron’s centrist Renaissance party trailing in third with only 19%.
“It could plunge it into chaos, from which it will have the greatest difficulty emerging,” said Sarkozy of Macron’s decision to hold early elections, which he said were “a major risk.”
“Giving the floor to the French people to justify the
dissolution is a curious argument since this is precisely what more than 25 million French people have just done at the polls,” said the ex-president, who served from 2007 to 2012, to a French newspaper. “The risk is great [that] they confirm their anger rather than reverse it.”
Columnist and political cartoonist Ted Rall joined
Sputnik’s The Critical Hour program Monday to discuss the development, the latest in a series of political controversies for Macron.
“There's no Jordan Bardella without a Marine Le Pen,” said Rall, referring to the party leader who would become Prime Minister if the National Rally prevails later this month.
Le Pen remains a highly controversial figure in France. The 55-year-old politician inherited leadership of her party, previously known as the National Front, from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, a right-wing figure known for statements criticizing immigration and downplaying the Nazi Holocaust.
The elder Le Pen’s shock advancement to the second round of the 2002 French Presidential election prompted an 82% victory for his opponent Jacques Chirac as voters flooded to the polls to prevent a right-wing win.
Elections in 2017 and 2022, in which Marine Le Pen advanced to the second round, similarly prompted a victory for Macron, although with a smaller margin each time. Le Pen’s 41% of the vote in 2022 represented the high-water mark for her nationalist party. Observers worry she is poised to prevail the next time she runs.
“The French don't have an appetite for conscription or even for wars of choice,” said Rall, saying that Macron’s provocative statements suggesting French troops could be sent to fight in Ukraine have dampened his popularity.
“They haven't been engaged in [a war] in a long, long time,” he continued. “Ukraine's a hot war. It's a real war. It's not like a police action, like going to quell the natives in New Caledonia. This is real serious. Frenchmen will be coming back in body bags from Ukraine.”
“And it's a conflict that a lot of French people are deeply divided about. The politics are bad for Macron. I don't know why he's absolutely so determined to push this narrative because truly he and his administration and his legacy are really on the ropes right now. And the last thing he needs is a controversial or unpopular policy, which this, I think, is.”
Currently riding in second place in the polls, a left-wing alliance known as the
New Popular Front has risen to 25% support among the public. Former National Assembly member Jean-Luc Mélenchon is leading the bloc of progressive parties, including the Socialist Party, the French Communist Party, pro-environmental groupings and Mélenchon’s France Unbowed.
