Emmanuel Macron has been issued a stark election warning as candidate Marine Le Pen has “caught up rapidly in the polls” in last few days before voting begins.
While the current president was initially a clear favourite for re-election, recent figures show the gap between him and closest rival Le Pen have dramatically narrowed.
Macron is also faced with the prospect of a low turnout as an unprecedented proportion of people say they are unsure who to vote for or don’t intend to vote at all.
His campaign most recently hit a speed bump when he was accused of “negotiating with Hitler” while attempting to convince Vladimir Putin to end his war.
The scathing comments come from Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki who slammed his French counterpart for engaging with The Kremlin and failing to take decisive action against the Russian leader.
French President Emmanuel Macron, candidate for his re-election in the 2022 French presidential election
STEPHANE MAHE
Marine Le Pen, French far-right candidate for the 2022 French presidential election
ALBERT GEA
Mr Morawiecki said: "What have you achieved? Have you stopped any of the actions that have taken place?
“Criminals are not negotiated with, criminals must be fought. Nobody negotiated with Hitler."
Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, Paris columnist for the Telegraph said on GB News: “She [Le Pen] is within distance of victory, she might not win, but she could."
Ms Moutet told presenter Mark Steyn that Le Pen has benefited from the candidacy of far-right extremist Eric Zemmour.
She said: “She has benefited from the presence of Eric Zemmour because he has put out into the open many things in such a frank manner that she can in many ways ride on his idealogical cocktails while she is softer, nicer and more feminine.
Ms Moutet added: “She had a rough time at the start of this campaign, but she is now basking in the sunshine of a possible victory.
POLITICO’s Poll of Polls aggregator, which is updated daily, still shows Macron as the most likely winner, with an average 6-point advantage. But it also shows Le Pen has caught up rapidly since mid-March, while Macron has lost ground.
A Le Pen presidency is predicted to have a dramatic impact on global affairs, as she has vowed to pull France out of NATO once elected.
Le Pen said during a meeting with her constituents in the northern city of Reims: “We must defend our interests freely and get out of the logic of military alliances … Therefore, we will get out of the unified NATO command, so as not to allow us to be dragged again into useless conflicts.”
Political analyst Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group said a Le Pen presidency would pose an existential crisis for the European Union and Nato at a particularly crucial historical moment.
Mr Rahman told the Independent: “It would fundamentally undermine the western alliance.”
“The EU would no longer be able to put up a coherent front against Russia in Ukraine.
"France would become a destructive partner within the EU, and that would have profound implications for the EU’s ability to function, and would fundamentally undermine the EU’s place in the world.”
