Far-right leader Marine Le Pen ‘on course to BEAT Macron at next election as voters turn on ‘arrogant’ President’

MARINE Le Pen could BEAT Emmanuel Macron at the next French election as voters continue to turn on the ‘arrogant’ leader, new polling suggests

The far-right leader is predicted to capitalise on the President’s shambolic handling of the Covid pandemic, with France continuing to record some of highest infections rates in Europe.

The pair went head to head in a run-off in 2017, in which Macron won by a decisive margin.

Her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, also suffered a runoff defeat - losing to Jacques Chirac in the 2002 election.

However, there is now a growing consensus in the political world that a Le Pen victory is no longer unthinkable if such a situation would occur in next years election.

According to the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, Le Pen, 52, has succeeded in detoxifying her image enough to attract mainstream conservative voters, who now see her as a preferable alternative to Macron.

The foundation also concurred that traditional left-wing voters now see Macron, 43, as arrogant and elitist.

Half of them also claimed they would abstain in a run-off, rather than unite behind him.

“A year from the next presidential election, we have reached the view that a final victory by Marine Le Pen is a clear risk,” said the foundation.

“It is indispensable to break this momentum.”

Macron, a political debutant who was victorious in the 2017 run-off, may now be “repelling voters in the way that the head of the National Rally repels those from outside her own camp," it added.

The President has come under under increasing pressure after he put France into its third national lockdown at the beginning of the month.

It co-insides with the chaotic vaccine roll out that has seen only 7.5% of the population receive two doses of the jab.

Marine Le Pen subsequently dubbed it as his 'Waterloo' - sensing her chance to leap ahead in the polls.

However, Macron still enjoys a 37 per cent approval rating, far higher than that of his two predecessors at the same time in their presidency.

What is a run off?

The run off is part of a two round system of voting that is used in France.

It enables voters to cast a single vote for their preferred candidate.

The run-off normally involves the top two candidates from the initial first round of voting.

It only reaches a second round if no candidate has received a simple majority (more than 50%) of votes cast.

The first round of the 2022 French presidential election will be held between 10 and 24 April 2022, with the second round held two weeks after the first.