The story so far: French President Emmanuel Macron will face off against far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen in the second round of voting in the country’s presidential election on April 24. Mr. Macron secured 27.8% votes while Ms. Le Pen was slightly behind him with 23.1% votes in the first round of polls held on April 10.
In 2017, Mr. Macron defeated Ms. Le Pen in the presidential election by a margin of over 30 percentage points.
The French presidential election will also be significant in deciding how the Russia-Ukraine crisis affects the country’s policies further, since both Mr. Macron and Ms. Le Pen have differing views on factors related to the war.
Where they stand on the Russia-Ukraine crisis
Mr. Macron has rallied behind the strict restrictions placed on Russia by the European Union (EU) since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared his “military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022. His opponent Ms. Le Pen, on the other hand, talks of the impact of the sanctions on the lives of the French people and wants to alleviate the growing inflation, food shortage, and fuel price rise.
Days before Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine, Mr. Macron met Mr. Putin in Moscow where the two discussed a then-potential rise in conflict. On February 20, the two Presidents spoke for 105 minutes on a phone call and agreed to work towards a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. Mr. Macron attempted to function as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine crisis even as French officials were sceptical of the outcome of the exercise due to warnings of an imminent Russian attack sounded by intelligence agencies of the U.S., the U.K., and other countries.
Ms. Le Pen has connected with the French population by focussing her campaign on issues like inflation, and food and fuel shortages in the country which have been aggravated due to the EU sanctions on Russia amid the crisis in Ukraine. She has also called for measures like slashing taxes on energy bills from 20% to 5.5% to compensate for the rising prices. Ms. Le Pen has promised to restore family budgets in the country if she wins the election. France is currently the second-largest economy in the EU.
Europe is currently going through one of its worst energy crises ever. Fuel prices have increased exorbitantly since the second half of 2021. The situation has only been worsened by the Russia-Ukraine crisis since Russia provides around 40% of Europe’s natural gas.
During her campaign, Ms. Le Pen has expressed concerns about the impact of the EU sanctions on the living standards in France. Mr. Macron, on the other hand, has supported the sanctions on Russia.
The two 2022 French presidential candidates do not see eye to eye on the EU. While Mr. Macron has been deeply involved with the EU, Ms. Le Pen has had long-standing reservations regarding the Union. During her 2017 electoral campaign, she had told a French newspaper that if she was voted to power, she would have visited Brussels, Belgium in order to restore “French sovereignty”.
In 2022, Ms. Le Pen has dropped the idea of “Frexit”, or France’s exit from the EU. The leader, however, still advocates the supremacy of French legislation over EU laws in French territories, a move that can potentially jeopardise the EU’s immigration policies. It is noteworthy that Ms. Le Pen has announced that if she is elected, she will facilitate a nationwide referendum to control immigration.
Mr. Macron and Ms. Le Pen also differ in their views regarding the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) membership, which has been at the centre of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. While the current President is a supporter of NATO, Ms. Le Pen has said that if voted to power, leaving the NATO integrated command will be a priority. According to a statement on the defence sector released by Ms. Le Pen’s campaign, France’s participation in NATO’s military command is incompatible with its sovereign status.
The French presidential candidate has also called for a rapprochement between NATO and Russia once the Ukraine war ends.
Although Ms. Le Pen has chosen to criticise Mr. Putin over his military operation in Ukraine, she was once an ally of the Russian President and has, in the past, defended him for the annexation of Crimea.
Mr. Macon has also targeted Ms. Le Pen for visiting Mr. Putin in Russia in 2017 during her presidential campaign.
Ms. Le Pen has raised questions about the direct supply of weapons from France to Ukraine. The supply of arms can bring other countries into direct conflict with Russia, Ms. Le Pen said. France has sent weapons worth 100 million euros to Ukraine in recent weeks, Associated Press reported. Ms. Le Pen has warned against sending any more weapons to Ukraine.
- French President Emmanuel Macron will face off against far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen in the second round of voting in the country’s presidential election on April 24
- In 2017, Mr. Macron defeated Ms. Le Pen in the presidential election by a margin of over 30 percentage points
- Mr. Macron has rallied behind the strict restrictions placed on Russia by the European Union (EU) since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared his “military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022
