French election 2022 - live: Macron and Le Pen trade blows as political landscape labelled ‘field of ruins’

Final two candidates face each other in decisive vote on 24 April

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen to face each other in French presidential run-off

French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen have attacked each other at the start of their run-off campaigns, after coming first and second respectively in the initial vote.

With just under two weeks to go until the final round, each politician wasted no time in casting aspersions against their rival.

“Emmanuel Macron, if by some mischance he was re-elected, would feel totally free to continue his policy of social wreckage,” Ms Le Pen claimed, before turning to the cost-of-living crisis, her usual political line of attack.

For his part, Mr Macron accused the leader of the far-right National Rally party of being a “demagogue”, who told people what they wished to hear.

Responding to the first round results, Gérard Araud, a former French diplomat who is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, said his country’s political life was now “more than ever a field of ruins”.

“Macron is leading a centrist block of nearly 30 percent, but his only credible adversaries are extremists,” Gérard Araud explained.

Key Points

• Macron and Le Pen exchange bitter blows at start of run-off campaigns
• French politics now ‘a field of ruins’, says former ambassador to US
• Macron on 27%, Le Pen on 23% after first round of voting
• President campaigns in northern France with warning ‘nothing decided yet’
• Poll puts Macron on course to win 55% in run-off

[11 April 2022 14:42 · Tom Batchelor]

‘I see that the country is divided,' says Macron

Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged France is “divided” as he appealed to left-wing voters during a walkabout in Denain, south of Paris.

“I’m trying to make clear my programme is fair and socially-minded,” he told locals, “I see that the country is divided.”

[11 April 2022 14:51 · Tom Batchelor]

Le Pen to meet grain farmer after campaign team meeting on Monday

Marine Le Pen will make a campaign trip on Monday afternoon to a grain farmer in Thorigny-sur-Oreuse. She is expected around 5pm.

Earlier she was pictured in Paris after a meeting with her campaign staff.

French far-right party presidential candidate Marine Le Pen leaves after a meeting with her campaign staff members in Paris (AFP via Getty Images)

Marine Le Pen came second in Sunday’s vote with 23.15 per cent (AFP via Getty Images)

Marine Le Pen advanced on Sunday in the first round of voting in the country’s election (AFP via Getty Images)

[11 April 2022 14:55 · Rory Sullivan]

Who is Marine Le Pen?

The National Rally leader Marine Le Pen is now in a two-horse race with Emmanuel Macron to become France’s next president.

But who is the 53-year-old far-right politician? And how is she trying to soften her image despite still pursuing policies targeting Muslims and immigrants?

My colleague Namita Singh takes a closer look:

[11 April 2022 15:29 · Tom Batchelor]

Former chancellor hails Macron’s ‘achievement’ in winning first round

[11 April 2022 15:55 · Tom Batchelor]

Le Pen says she would establish a ‘government of national unity'

Marine Le Pen claims she would establish a “government of national unity” were she to win the French presidency in two weeks’ time.

The far-right National Rally leader tweeted on Monday afternoon: “Elected president, I will set up a government of national unity, with personalities from other political families who share our vision of national independence or the reindustrialisation of the country.”

Ms Le Pen has previously spoken of the desire for a unity government, saying she had a “list of people” who she would want to include, “either in political life or in civil society who share the broad outlines of my policy”.

She said last week that she would not “decide on all the positions definitively, to be able to greet people who would decide to participate in the national unity government”.

[11 April 2022 16:34 · Rory Sullivan]

Macron predicted to edge Le Pen, according to latest poll

Emmanuel Macron will narrowly defeat rival Marine Le Pen in the second round presidential vote on 24 April, the latest poll suggests.

The IFOP-Fiducial survey estimates that the incumbent president will win reelection with 52.5 per cent of the vote in the head-to-head against his far-right competitor.

The poll of 1,003 repondents was carried out between 10 and 11 April, with the margin of error falling between +/- 1.4 and 3.1 points.

Roughly a quarter of the French electorate are predicted to abstain from the second round vote.

[11 April 2022 16:56 · Rory Sullivan]

Who is Marine Le Pen?

National Rally leader Marine Le Pen is now in a two-horse race against Emmanuel Macron to become France’s next president.

But who is the 53-year-old far-right politician? And how has she attempted to soften her imagine despite pursuing policies targeting Muslims and immigrants.

My colleague Namita Singh takes a closer look:

[11 April 2022 17:20 · Rory Sullivan]

French centre right party fighting to survive

Les Republicains were once a dominant force in French politics.

However, party leader Valerie Pecresse gained less than 5 per cent of the vote in the first round of the presidential yesterday.

As well as suffering its worst result in modern history, the failure to achieve the 5 per cent threshold means the money the party spent on campaigning will not be partially refunded by the state.

Some struggle to how Les Republicains can recover from this setback. However, party activitists retain their faith in its future.

“I don’t think our party will collapse...If Le Pen loses she is finished and if Macron wins it will be his last mandate so in 2027 there will be the need for something new and we will need to be ready,” Florence Portelli, the spokesperson for Ms Pecresse, said.

A 67-year-old retired lawyer called Jacques also believe Sunday’s result does not spell the end of the party he supports.

“It’s a slap in the face, but people are no longer thinking rationally and want to be sold a dream,” he said. “There is a risk the party will explode, but we need to regroup now.”

[11 April 2022 17:43 · Rory Sullivan]

Numbers moving in right direction for Macron, says analyst

Emmanuel Macron’s polling figures are heading in the right direction after the vote on Sunday, one analyst has said.

Mujtaba Rahman, who works for the Eurasia Group, a geopolitical risk firm, noted that the latest IFOP rolling poll estimated that Macron would win 52.5 per cent of the vote in the final round, up from its previous prediction of 51 per cent .

“Overall, suggests numbers are moving in Macron’s direction,” Mr Rahman said.

[11 April 2022 18:00 · Rory Sullivan]

French politics now ‘a field of ruins’, says former ambassador to US

A former French ambassador to the US has described the political situation in his country as “a field of ruins” after yesterday’s vote.

Aside from the current president Emmanuel Macron, no centrist politician received substantial public support. But populist politicians - Marine Le Pen of the far right and Jean-Luc Melenchon of the far left - did.

Responding to the first round results, Gérard Araud, who is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, said: “French political life is more than ever a field of ruins: Macron is leading a centrist block of nearly 30 percent, but his only credible adversaries are extremists.”

“All polls show so far that Macron should win but with such a small margin that the result may be reversed in the second round of voting on April 24. His victory is anything but guaranteed,” he added.