Emmanuel Macron could lose to National Rally in the European Parliament election, as new poll data projects that the right-wing party will record its highest-ever result.
Marine Le Pen’s party could win 33 per cent of the vote, whilst the Ensemble! coalition, which includes Macron’s Renaissance party, is predicted to get a measly 14 per cent.
The poll – which was conducted in January and surveyed 1,034 people – forecasted that another right-wing party Reconquête could receive six per cent.
The survey, which was conducted by consultancy firm Portland Communications and shared with POLITICO was also carried out in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland.
Marine Le Pen could beat Emmanuel Macron at the European Parliament elections, new poll data has forecast
Reuters
Results showed similar right-wing-leaning sentiments in voters across the continent, bar Poland, where Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s liberal Civic Coalition is forecast to receive 35 per cent of the vote.
In Germany, Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to win with 17 per cent of the vote.
“The EU is heading into these elections with citizens in a deeply pessimistic mood,” Portland Communications CEO Victoria Dean said.
She added that voters were “concerned about issues which are difficult to fix”.
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Emmanual Macron is facing pressure from all sides in FrancePAThe issue that topped the list as the most worrying for voters is the cost-of-living crisis, with immigration and health also being flagged as contentious problems.
In all five countries, most people said they would base their vote on domestic rather than EU-wide issues.
After winning power again in 2022, Macron’s main opponent has been Marine Le Pen, whom he decisively beat during the last two elections.
Macron is facing powerful competition on both sides of the political spectrum, as a new challenger has emerged on the scene who could take away vital support on the left.
The French President has slightly tilted towards the right in order to counter Le Pen’s National Rally, which his Renaissance Party is currently neck and neck with, vital backing from the left has started to dwindle.
Marine Le Pen's party is forecast to get its best-ever result at EU elections
X/@MLP_officielRaphaël Glucksmann, 44, a centre-left and pro-European politician, has already launched his election bid under his party Place Publique.
Some of Macron’s former supporters are calling for an endorsement of Glucksmann, who shares many values with the French president, such as greater EU integration and aid for Ukraine.
Speaking to the local press, former Green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit who previously championed Macron, branded him a “disappointment”. Instead, he is now calling for the Greens and Socialists to unite behind the 44-year-old.
Support for the two-term French President also tumbled since he announced plans to raise the pension age to 64 from 62.
He argued that extending the retirement age by two years would significantly increase tax revenue for the country and raise the Treasury by tens of billions of euros.
However, the plans resulted in protests erupting throughout the country.