Things are going from bad to worse for Emmanuel Macron, and for the first time political commentators in France are considering the possibility that he might not win a second term. The latest poll, carried out for Le Figaro, has him one point ahead of Marine Le Pen in the voting intentions of the people canvassed.
Brexit and Trump have taught us not to put all our trust in polls but there’s no denying that Macron’s election campaign is in trouble. As I wrote yesterday, this time last month he was 18 points clear of Le Pen and a racing certainty for a second term.
Where has it gone so wrong? Macron has only himself to blame. Too complacent, too cocksure, he assumed that his re-election was in the bag – and that was even before his shuttle diplomacy in February as Russia amassed its troops on the Ukraine border.
Don’t underestimate the enmity millions of Frenchmen and women have for Macron
The French approved of his attempt to persuade Putin not to attack, and his ratings rose to a record 33 per cent.
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