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The Melenchon vote is key for the second round on April 24 Macron takes a green turn to convince the left Lepen denies being skeptical about the climate
PARIS, April 17 (Reuters) – The party of far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon did not give instructions for voting in the second round of French presidential consultations, as its internal consultations showed that most would abstain or vote abstain on April 24, intensifying the uncertainty about the result. President Emanuel Macron and far-right Marine Le Pen are trying to win over voters who elected Melanson after coming in third in the first round on April 10 with about 22% of the vote. With the electorate fragmented and undecided, the election is likely to be won by the candidate who can reach beyond his camp to convince voters that the other option would be much worse. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register After the first round, Melanson called on his supporters not to vote for Le Pen, but stopped supporting Macron and said his party would hold a public consultation to help guide the millions who supported him. According to results published on Sunday, about 215,000 party members who participated in it, over 66% said they would abstain, leave their ballot blank or spoil it. Just over 33% said they would vote for Macron. The choice of Le Pen’s vote was not given to the respondents. “The results are not a directive to vote for anyone … everyone will infer from it and vote as they see fit,” Melenchon’s campaign team wrote on its website. Pollsters estimate the overall turnout for next Sunday’s election at around 30%, similar to the first round. It is unclear what a high turnout would mean either overall or among Melanson voters for each candidate. Both Macron and Le Pen were able to mobilize their basic support in the first round, but are struggling to appeal beyond their own camps. The vote next Sunday is a repeat of the 2017 showdown in the second round. Macron, a pro-EU center, then easily defeated Le Pen as voters rallied behind him to keep her party out of power. This time he is considered to face a much tougher challenge, although the latest polls give him a 9-10 point lead over Lepen. An IPSOS-Sopra-Steria poll on Saturday found that about 33% of Melanson’s voters would support Macron, with 16% backing Le Pen on April 24. But 51% of people were undecided. COVERAGE VOTERS MELENCHON For decades, a “republican front” of voters from all sides rallying behind a ruling candidate has helped keep the far right out of power. But Macron, whose sometimes aggressive style and right-wing policies have upset many voters, can no longer automatically count on that sentiment. Lepen goes to the hardest-working, rural section of the Melenchon base, focusing on the cost of living, rising food costs and high gas prices after the war in Ukraine. Macron, meanwhile, is trying to attract the more educated, center-left and bourgeois sections of Melanson’s supporters. On Saturday, he told supporters in Marseille, who voted overwhelmingly in favor of Melanson, that he had heard their message and would focus his new presidency on ridding France of fossil fuels. He accused Lepen of being a “climate skeptic”. read more “I do not know what this is based on, but I have never been a climate skeptic and I have a program that takes into account the environment and ecology,” Le Pen told France 3 TV. Macron’s promises to do more for the environment may not hit the spot for some voters. The leader of the Greens, Julien Bayou, said the president was not credible. “He had five years to act and he did not,” he told Franceinfo radio, adding that the Greens’ call to vote for Macron was clear to stop the far right from coming to power. Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion forced the closure of a central square and boulevard in the capital on Saturday, protesting the environmental programs of both candidates. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by John Irish Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Frances Kerry Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
