Military diplomacy has boosted support for incumbent President Emmanuel Marconi in the month-long election. His toughest challengers come from the far right.
PONTORSON The huge Stage is built in front of the famous convent island of Mont-Saint-Michelin, in the middle of the Normandy fields.
For the presidency of France Éric Zemmourin the campaign event is reminiscent of big TV production: directors and cameramen crowd around the stage, and two giant video screens rise next to it.
According to the organizers, two thousand Zemmour supporters have arrived, but visually there are clearly fewer of them. Standing in the field requires perseverance, as the storm that whipped the coast at night has turned the country into a sinking mud.
Member of the Zemmour local electoral organization Gérard Vienne has arrived on time. He says he previously belonged to the right-wing Republican Party but was among the first to join Zemmour last fall.
– I think the French right has abandoned its traditional values. Zemmour promises to restore France’s independence and economic greatness, which is absolutely essential, Vienne tells .
We interviewed Zemmour supporters just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine is affecting the electoral situation in France
France is preparing for the presidential election in April, but the Russian attack has messed up the campaign. The focus has been on the president, who is negotiating with the leaders of the great powers Emmanuel Macroniinwho confirmed his candidacy last Thursday.
The war in Ukraine has increased Marconi’s support. The latest polls promise him about 30 percent of the vote in the first round of the election.
However, far-right candidates remain Macron’s toughest challengers.
Zemmour will receive about 13 percent of the vote in the first round of the election. He will compete for entry to the second round by a long-standing right-wing populist, chairman of the National Front. Marine Le Penin with. About 14% of French people currently support Le Pen.
The far-right Reconquête movement, founded by Zemmour, has already collected more than one hundred thousand members and ten million euros in election money in a short time.
The far-right Russia’s mindset has come into questionable light
The far-right Zemmour and Le Pen are united by pro-Russia sentiment and anti-NATO sentiment. Neither believes in European cooperation but in traditional superpower politics.
In recent weeks, both Zemmour and Le Pen have had to explain the previous president Vladimir Putin statements in line with the policy. Zemmour has since condemned Russia’s hostilities in Ukraine but has also criticized the economic sanctions imposed on Russia.
Indeed, the war in Ukraine seems to have hampered the growing popularity of Zemmour.
In addition to the intensified international climate, Éric Zemmour’s presidential dreams are hampered by the fact that he is provoking very strong opposition. According to polls, Zemmour is the most negative presidential candidate. Nearly 70 percent of French people find his policy worrying.
Where Le Pen has sought to moderate and salonize his party, Zemmour has taken its policies to the far right. Zemmour has received several convictions for racism and has been accused of denigrating Muslims and chauvinism.
Zemmour also addresses supporters of the moderate right
Known as a television journalist, raucous essayist and bestselling author, Zemmour has risen to the top of the presidential election without any previous political experience.
Zemmour’s supportership is quite old and male. He addresses in particular the middle-class and conservative French and has also attracted moderate right-wing voters to his ranks.
Le Pen, on the other hand, appeals to more working-class voters.
There are many former Le Pen supporters who have joined Zemmour’s troops at the Mont-Saint-Michelin election ceremony. One of them has recently moved to Normandy from Paris Lionel Karner.
– I am voting for Zemmour because I believe he has the ability to make the changes that others have only been talking about for a long time. I also don’t think Le Pen is qualified enough to be president, Karner says.
He says he is particularly concerned about the increase in the number of people with a foreign background in France’s major cities and signs Zemmour’s speeches on “a large demographic change”.
Demographic change is a conspiracy theory cherished by far-right parties that the current decision-makers are to replace white Europeans with immigrants.
Zemmour’s campaign is built on this theme. He has promised to reduce immigration to near zero and tighten the process of granting citizenship.
Externality and anti-system appeal also appeal to young voters
Recently, Zemmour has focused especially on social media and reaching out to young voters. Some of them had also arrived at the Normandy election.
Traveled from Paris to Mont-Saint-Michelin Marie Maunoy says he is particularly concerned about security issues.
– As a young woman, I can’t walk in Paris very carelessly. Éric Zemmour says things as they are and seems to be the person who makes them. I have a lot of confidence in him, Maunoy tells .
Young supporters seem to be particularly appealed to Zemmour’s status as a candidate from outside politics and traditional parties.
Zemmour is the only candidate who offers something new, says the young man Joris Duboc.
– The other candidates are the same group: former ministers, or for the third time a candidate like Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Le Pen, Duboc says.
He will be allowed to vote in this presidential election for the first time and is absolutely certain of his election.
– I will definitely vote for Zemmour. He defends French values and Catholic traditions, Duboc notes to .
Television journalist Zemmour dominates the media game
After a couple of hours of waiting, Zemmour arrives on stage, accompanied by dozens of security guards and shouts of support.
– All my life I have fought against France, which is weak and under pressure. That France has lost its freedom, independence, pride and unity, Zemmour speaks.
The audience gives him applauding applause.
Zemmour’s stage charisma does not reach the level of Emmanuel Macron or Marine Le Pen, but he conveys a learned and calm impression.
Zemmour is the son of a Berber Jewish family who emigrated from Algeria to France and talk a lot about French culture and history at his election ceremonies.
Zemmour and his team also dominate media visibility. The most important thing in Normandy does not seem to be the number of people who arrived or the charm of the atmosphere, but the great impression conveyed through the channels and news images.