French voters sceptical Macron, Le Pen have answers on unemployment, security

[webfact]

French voters sceptical Macron, Le Pen have answers on unemployment, security

By Matthias Blamont

REUTERS

 

A woman walks past the new official posters for the candidates for the 2017 French presidential election, Emmanuel Macron, head of the political movement En Marche !, or Onwards !, (L) and Marine Le Pen, French National Front (FN) political party leader (R), in Paris, France, April 28, 2017. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

 

PARIS (Reuters) - A week before a decisive second round in France's presidential election, many voters are sceptical that either of the two candidates can solve chronic unemployment or tackle security concerns, a poll published on Sunday found.

 

The Ifop survey for the Journal du Dimanche highlights two key battlegrounds as centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen enter a final week of campaigning, expected to focus on France's economy and borders.

 

Polls predict Macron, a former economy minister, will win the May 7 run-off with about 59-60 percent. But the momentum has recently been with Le Pen, who has clawed back about five percentage points over the past week.

 

According to the Ifop poll, 45 percent of voters believe the two finalists would not put an end to unemployment, which has for years stood close to 10 percent in France. And 36 percent say neither candidate is able to protect France from attacks.

 

France has been under a state of emergency since 2015 and has suffered a spate of Islamist militant attacks mostly perpetrated by young men who grew up in France and Belgium. More than 230 people have been killed in the past two years.

 

Days before the April 23 first round, a French policeman was shot dead and two others were wounded in central Paris in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

 

The outcome of the run-off will depend to a large extent on floating voters and potentially high levels of abstention.

 

In the first round, 22.2 percent of voters abstained: The highest percentage since 2002 when Marine Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie, surged into the second round only to be defeated overwhelmingly by conservative Jacques Chirac.

 

If turnout is low in the second round, analysts say Macron may struggle to reproduce the same broad movement against the National Front candidate, citing his mainly free-market policies at a time when anti-establishment feeling has been on the rise in Europe and the United States.

 

Left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, with 19.6 percent of votes in the first round, has urged his supporters to oppose Le Pen but has refused to back Macron for the second round.

 

Le Pen travelled to Marseille on Sunday to speak on the environment, a key issue for Melenchon supporters, while Macron was expected to visit the Holocaust memorial in Paris later.

 

The Ifop poll found 42 percent of voters believe Macron and Le Pen would be unable to reunite the country after months of bitter campaigning, while 43 percent questioned whether they would be able to govern even after capturing the Elysee palace.

 

France returns to the polls in June to select members of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, where a majority is needed to push through government policies.

 

Both Macron, who launched a new party a year ago, and Le Pen, whose National Front has only two seats in the National Assembly, have faced questions about their ability to build a parliamentary majority.

 

Le Pen said on Saturday defeated right-wing candidate Nicolas Dupont-Aignan would be her prime minister if she wins.

 

Macron received support on Sunday from Jean-Louis Borloo, a previous leader of the UDI, a small centrist party, but has yet to say who he would ask to lead a government.

 

(Additional reporting by Myriam Rivet; Editing by Tim Hepher and Adrian Croft)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-05-01

[portroyal]

My hearts goes for Le Pen and my brain for Macron...

listening first to my brain, I will vote Macron, without any enthousiasm nor illusions.

[dick dasterdly]

No suprises there....

 

Its a simple statement of the obvious - politicians are concerned with their own interests, certainly not the interests of the poor or average in society.

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, portroyal said:

My hearts goes for Le Pen and my brain for Macron...

listening first to my brain, I will vote Macron, without any enthousiasm nor illusions.

Your a retiree so you may beat the beatup of workers after Macron takes power. After Macron does a number on the workers he may yet come and attack pensions and benefits You heard the old joke where they came for others first and you last.

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, dick dasterdly said:

No suprises there....

 

Its a simple statement of the obvious - politicians are concerned with their own interests, certainly not the interests of the poor or average in society.

To come to this truthful conclusion you must have been a politician in another life. 

[Aforek]

54 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

Your a retiree so you may beat the beatup of workers after Macron takes power. After Macron does a number on the workers he may yet come and attack pensions and benefits You heard the old joke where they came for others first and you last.

How do you know ? You spoke with a Thai " mo doo " ?  You think Le Pen better ? 

[johnnyonesock]

just a few points about Macron

 

he has never held an elected post in govt

 

hes an ex Roxxscxxxxs investment banker

 

he is being financed in this election by the same people

 

his wife who happens to be 24 years older than him is also born into and well connected in the circles that we are not allowed to talk about..rumour has it she is also the cover for his alternative sexual preferences

[Jingthing]

8 minutes ago, johnnyonesock said:

just a few points about Macron

 

he has never held an elected post in govt

 

hes an ex Roxxscxxxxs investment banker

 

he is being financed in this election by the same people

 

his wife who happens to be 24 years older than him is also born into and well connected in the circles that we are not allowed to talk about..rumour has it she is also the cover for his alternative sexual preferences

It's OK. We can talk about crop circles!

 

 

[Opl]

49 minutes ago, johnnyonesock said:

just a few points about Macron

 

he has never held an elected post in govt

 

hes an ex Roxxscxxxxs investment banker

 

he is being financed in this election by the same people

 

his wife who happens to be 24 years older than him is also born into and well connected in the circles that we are not allowed to talk about..rumour has it she is also the cover for his alternative sexual preferences

 

At least Macron does not need your vote to make ends meet.

At least Macron does not need to "divert" E.U funds to  hire people devoted to other tasks that have nothing to do with E.U but only with french presidential race. The European Parliament began a procedure that could lead to the lifting of Marine Le Pen’s immunity for alleged misuse of European Union funds.

And for your last point.... who cares?  It's none of your business.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2017 by Opl

[Aforek]

14 minutes ago, Opl said:

 

At least Macron does not need your vote to make ends meet.

At least Macron does not need to "divert" E.U funds to  hire people devoted to other tasks that has nothing to do with E.U but only with french presidential race. The European Parliament began a procedure that could lead to the lifting of Marine Le Pen’s immunity for alleged misuse of European Union funds.

And for your last point.... who cares?  It's none of your business.

 

 

 

 

for the last point, Johnnyonesock must know  that in France, personnal life doesn't prevent anybody to be elected 

 

I know that , for instance, USA , personnal life can interfer with political career, for instance divorced, homosexual etc ... not in France, private is private : you think Macron will not be elected  because his or her personnal sexual preferences  ?  555

I tell you what I think ; TOUT SAUF LE PEN  ( everybody but Le Pen ) ; it's true she has stolen 5 millions euros from EU, not Macron