France faces a presidential succession race with 35 candidates seeking to replace Emmanuel Macron, who cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. The prime risk is that widespread detachment from reality among candidates could make the campaign seem grotesque to voters. With many candidates from the moderate left, centre, and centre-right, the race could become a straightforward path for the far right, which leads in first-round polls. A far-right president could paralyse EU decision-making, challenge EU law supremacy, and promote a France First agenda that undermines the single market and Schengen free travel. Former prime minister Gabriel Attal has entered the race but faces obstacles tied to perceived closeness to Macron and competition from centrist rivals.
"The latest to throw his hat in the ring is former prime minister Gabriel Attal, declaring (as would-be French presidents must) that he loved France and the French with a passion and was fed up with 50 shades of managing decline. But Attal France's youngest prime minister when he was appointed in 2024 faces two major obstacles: not just his perceived proximity to the outgoing president, currently languishing on a 75% disapproval rating, but centrist rivals."
#french-presidential-election #far-right-politics #european-union-impact #eu-law-and-single-market #political-candidates
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