Populist leader Marine Le Pen is bracing for the possibility of early presidential elections in France as Emmanuel Macron appears to have exhausted his options to effectively govern the country. He said that preparations are underway.
Commenting on the arrival of the fourth prime minister so far this year, Marine Le Pen, director of the National Assembly, said: Le Parisien She said she had begun “preparations for an early presidential election.”
she said It said preparations were being made “as a precautionary measure, taking into account Emmanuel Macron's vulnerability and the few institutional tools he has left.”
“We have lost control everywhere,” Le Pen said, adding: “It's over, or almost over, for Emmanuel Macron.”
President Macron insists he intends to finish out his second term in office, which ends in 2027, but Le Pen has warned of potential threats to reconsider, such as action by international creditors over the country's growing debt crisis. He pointed out that there are some factors. .
Le Pen has run for president three times and currently holds a comfortable lead in the race to replace Macron.
However, the populist leader faces several potential challenges, including an ongoing case against her and other National Rally Party officials over allegations of misappropriation of EU funds.
The case is due to conclude in March, and Le Pen could be banned from national politics for five years, effectively ending her political ambitions to lead France.
Even if she overcomes the legal hurdles, actually taking control of the Elysée Palace will still be an uphill battle, given France's unique voting system, which is deliberately designed to consolidate the power of established political parties. There is a high possibility that it will.
Under the current system, voting takes place twice, with many candidates entering in the first round, and only the strongest candidates being sent to the second and final round.
The system often allows established parties to form unnatural alliances to prevent outsider parties from winning. Such was the case in 2002, when left and right rallied behind Jacques Chirac and blocked the candidacy of Jean-Marie Le Pen, Le Pen's father and party founder. From seizing power.
However, as dissatisfaction with the regime grows, support for possible constitutional reform is increasing. investigation This week it was revealed that a majority of French people (56%) support ending the Fifth Republic, which began in 1958, and creating a Sixth Republic. The same poll found that 75% had a negative opinion of President Macron.
