PARIS: The race to be France’s next president culminates in Sunday’s run-off after a tense campaign with multiple twists and turns.
Pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right Marine Le Pen emerged as the finalists in one of the most unpredictable contests for decades.
The first came in November when former conservative premier Francois Fillon pulled off a come-from-behind victory in the rightwing primary, defying pollsters who had for months predicted a win for Alain Juppe, 71.
Fillon’s upset was put down to strong performances in TV debates, as well as what was then a scandal-free image compared with Juppe and his other key rival, former president Nicolas Sarkozy.
President Francois Hollande had staked his presidency on turning around France’s moribund economy, in particular on reining in an unemployment rate that has remained stuck at around 10 per cent throughout his five years in charge.
When the Socialist failed to do so and France also became a frequent target for attacks, his popularity ratings plunged to historic lows.
On December 1, he finally announced he would not stand for re-election. By mid-January, the race for the presidency seemed to be a duel between Fillon and anti-immigration candidate Le Pen.
At the time, Macron, a former economy minister under Hollande who had quit to launch an independent centrist bid for the presidency, was just beginning to get traction in the race.
On January 25, the investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchaine dropped a bombshell with revelations Fillon had put his wife Penelope on the public payroll with little work to show. It would eventually lead to criminal charges being brought against Fillon for abuse of public funds.
The former investment banker hoping to become France’s youngest postwar president was once dismissed as a flash in the pan but went on to consolidate his status as the man to beat. The pro-business europhile began filling arenas, finding support from Socialists deserting their crumbling party as well as a broad array of people seeking new ideas.
Communist-backed firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon surged in the polls in the final weeks before the first round of voting on April 23.
The charismatic 65-year-old, who tapped into widespread disillusionment with the political class, bounded ahead after strong debate appearances and quirky campaign stunts using holograms. He would eventually come in fourth just behind Fillon with 19.58 per cent of the vote.
Just as candidates were making their final pitches to voters in a televised interview show on April 20, a gunman opened fire on police on the Champs Elysees, killing one officer before being shot dead himself. — AFP
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