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Marine Le Pen was preparing for the long haul to meet Emmanuel Macron the following spring when a new politician confused his mind.
As recently as September 12, it is speculated that the former right-wing politician and French president was, as in 2017, a runner-up candidate to reach the second and final round of voting in April, he explained what he saw as a simple vote: “The French want this choice between him and me. It is a choice between nationalism and patriotism.”
Then came Eric Zemmour. A well-qualified television lawyer, who has not yet claimed to be an opponent of the President, has launched a public outcry that has disrupted the election process.
While Zemmour support among first-time voters rose from 7% for the first time combined with Harris Interactive three weeks ago 13 percent now, Le Pen’s support has dropped from 23% to 16% last month. Zemmour is close to voting on the same level as Xavier Bertrand’s second middle-right The Republican, which is 14 percent. Macron remains strong at 23%.
Zemmour was a new phenomenon in what seemed to be a unique campaign, says Christèle Lagier, an assistant professor of political science at Avignon University. “If his decisions are real, it hurts right and right too much,” he said.
When Le Pen launched their campaign in the Mediterranean town of Fréjus a few weeks ago, he turned down his offer as the president’s hope, calling him a “third” who would disappear like most in the past.
“I’m always happy that there are more people who are starting to say what we’ve said over 20 years,” Le Pen said. “There have always been elected people.”
Zemmour, however, is no longer sidelined, say politicians. Encouraged by the announcement from the original television show, the dedicated YouTube channel and the new book, Zemmour has created threats to immigration to Muslims and what he sees as a decline in French development. He was convicted twice for being violent or religious.
Le Pen and Zemmour’s problem is that while he is not ashamed of rhetoric, he has changed his mind in an attempt to “destroy” his party in an effort to win middle-right and former Communist voters since he received the party from his father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, years ago. ten years ago.
In the case of relocation, where Le Pen has called for a permanent referendum, citizenship and immigration control, Zemmour has called for a ban on foreign names such as Mohammed and said he would allow the return of 2m foreign tourists to their countries of origin.
This week, when asked about unemployment education and the importance of external staff after Brexit Britain, Le Pen also said it was not an idea and would acknowledge the need for foreign workers in the French regions in need. “If my country, France, needs foreigners, so be it,” he said.
Political scientist Vincent Martigny observes: “Many people consider his theory to be ‘wrong.’ “He has to stick to the unchanging line so he doesn’t lose his supporters, but he also has to open up to get new voters. It’s always his problem.”
Restoring Le Pen had fewer problems. Many self-proclaimed middle-aged voters – who support a lowly politician in the middle while François Fillon in his failure to run for president in 2017 – may be interested in returning Zemmour even though his views are more dangerous than Le Pen’s, according to experts.
It is said that this is because Le Pen takes over the old assets of his party, rooted in anti-Semitism, while Zemmour – an Algerian Jew in Algeria – is known to be an intellectual in Paris.
“LR sponsors are very close in many ways to the National Front [the old name for Le Pen’s Rassemblement National], ”Says Martigny. “But they don’t want to make an alliance with FN, because” they are racists, and we are legitimate people. “
Jean-Yves Camus, a magician, agrees with the likes of Fillon’s followers. “There are voters who are ready to swap with someone who loves the economy, the intellectual, but the most difficult when it comes to emigration and so on.”
If Zemmour were able to beat Le Pen in the second half, it could upset Macron, who is hoping for an easy second defeat in the second round to be re-elected. The president could meet someone like Bertrand from the middle right where, according to the investigation, he has a better chance of hitting him than Le Pen.
Meanwhile, most disturbed by the growth of Zemmour and Le Pen. “Everyone knows Marine Le Pen can’t win,” is one of Zemmour’s favorite words, and the person working hard to make it happen is none other than Zemmour.