The first round of the French presidential election will be held on Sunday 10 April. So far polls widely show President Macron as the frontrunner, with the war in Ukraine overshadowing the campaign and turning the attention to foreign policy, rather than the domestic issues favoured by his opponents.
The presidential campaign has also been marked by a striking shift to the right and far-right, as well as by the fragmentation of the left. Moreover, the risk of record-low turnout and doubts over the so-called “Republican Front” in the second round of the election beg questions as to the state of French democracy itself.
Those shifts are likely to reshape the country’s political landscape in a lasting way and impact the next president’s priorities and ability to govern. They will also have implications for the European Union, a topic less debated during the campaign, at a time of geopolitical unsettling and as Paris holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council until the end of June.
- What to expect from the upcoming presidential election?
- What topics have been high on the agenda, or lacking coverage, during the campaign
- How has the domestic debate been affected by the war in Ukraine?
- Will this election mark a long-term shift to the right and a fragmentation of the left in French politics?
- If he were to be re-elected, what to expect from a second Macron term? What will be his priorities – at home, in the EU and abroad?
- More generally, is the electorate satisfied with the state of French democracy?
