A minority of Mélenchon supporters plan to vote for Macron in the presidential election second round

Two thirds prefer to leave their ballots blank or abstain, rather than vote for President Emmanuel Macron. There is still the unknown factor of how many of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s supporters will vote for the far right.

By Julie Carriat
 April 18, 2022

Supporters of leftist politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who came in third in the first round of the French presidential election, have been surveyed about their voting intentions regarding the second round. Consulted, as in 2017, on their choice for the second round, only one third (33.4%) say they will vote for the incumbent, Emmanuel Macron, on Sunday, April 24. The rest of the 215,000 people who took part in the survey will abstain (28.96%) or cast a blank or null ballot (37.65%). Out of consideration for the diversity of the electorate in his La France insoumise (LFI) party, Mr. Mélenchon had limited his voting instructions. On the evening of the first round, he merely said “not one vote for Marine Le Pen,” the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) candidate. Survey organizers said that “the result of this survey is no way an instruction on how to vote. Everyone will decide and vote in conscience, as he intends.”

As was the case five years ago, when Mr. Mélenchon also came in third in the first round, those surveyed were not asked if they would vote for the far-right candidate. At that time, facing a second round between Mr. Macron and Ms. Le Pen, almost two thirds of the insoumis (Mélenchon supporters) polled preferred to vote blank, null or abstain.

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These two surveys in 2017 and 2022, which are almost identical, hide the same reality. Namely, it’s that some of Mr. Mélenchon’s votes will go to Ms. Le Pen. According to polls, between 16% and 27% are considering turning to the RN candidate in the second round, against 30% to 40% for President Macron.

Read more at www.lemonde.fr

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