French Election Features Two Very Unpopular Candidates

New York Times: “No French president has been the object of such intense dislike among significant segments of the population as Mr. Macron — the result, experts say, of his image as an elitist out of touch with the ordinary French people whose pensions and work protections he has threatened in his efforts to make the economy more investor-friendly.”

“Just how deep that loathing runs will be a critical factor — perhaps even the decisive one — in the election against his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen. Recent polls give Mr. Macron a lead of around 10 percentage points — wider than at some points in the campaign, but only a third of his winning margin five years ago.”

Meanwhile, Eurointelligence watched last night’s debate and concludes that Le Pen “did not succeed in extending much beyond her existing far-right constituency.”