Marine Le Pen, what is her election strategy?

The run-off for the French presidential election is fixed for April 24, 2022 as no candidate achieved outright majority in the first round held on April 10. Marine le Pen was placed second after the incumbent Macron, with almost a deficit of 1.65 million votes. Can she turn the tide? And what is her Election Strategy? 

Based on the first round election result, Le Pen is charting a strategy known as two-pronged attack where she wants to get the support of voters who cast their votes to third placed Melanchon who represents socialist democratic program as well as fourth placed candidate Zemmour who is a fire brand rightist. Incidentally, these two candidates polled 7.71 million and 2.48 million votes respectively. In terms percentage the first round polled as follows:

Macron 27.8

Le Pen   23.1

Melanchon 22.0

Zemmour 7.1

Smoothing the edges, Le Pen tries to gain at-least 70 to 80% of voters who have supported the last two candidates. Besides, there are fringe candidates reflecting varied policy and philosophy in the French electoral system. Most of them exhibit anti-incumbency feelings any way!

French are not much concerned about global affairs. None the less, they are pretty much concerned with Europe as a centre and French ethos “Liberty, equality and Fraternity” as guiding policy of the Republic. This was put asunder by Macron whose high handed treatment of the Yellow Vests protestors in December 2018 is still fresh in their memory. Predictably so, Melanchon who stood for these values cannot support Macron under any circumstances.

Second limb of electoral strategy Le Pen unveiled is the empowerment of people. On the face of Macron’s refusal to use allotted TV hours for campaigning and the fact that candidates in the run-off are only permitted equal hours of TV visibility, Le Pen is constrained to discuss and explain all her policies and programmes to the public via media platform. She therefore opted for empowering the people as a major chunk of her strategy.

She declared that once elected she would leave the NATO integrated defence architecture touching the raw nerve of the French pride that does not want the French army under any command be it American or European. As regards to leaving the NATO altogether she pronounced, it is the People who decides major policy issues such as NATO and Ukraine by way of a referendum. 

In sum the electoral strategy of Le Pen is based on one part soliciting the support of the anti-macron anti-incumbency factor that is widely felt across France and on the other part crowning the public as masters in deciding vital issues in global relationship.

Shall await the results of the run-off election with bated breath!

 

Cheers!

 

Muthu Ashraff Rajulu

Business Strategist

Mobile: + 94 777 265677

E-mail:   cosmicgems@gmail.com

Blog:   Business Strategist