The âleftâ donât have a primary in France in the same way the ârightâ do. But Macron appears to be emerging as the champion candidate of the âleftâ even though heâs a centrist.
Tactical voting could well see him make the run off and if he does, heâll be favourite.
I reckon he will win. Fillon is done.
What happens if Fillon pulls out, though?
Does Juppe come back into the running?
Said he wonât re-enter. Probably seething at the hiding he got in the primary.
Politicians say things all the time.
Heâs currently 26/1 to win.
Very true. Worth a fiver.
The Socialist party is having a primary this time around (for the first time I think). The runoff is on tomorrow. Valls the best known name in it, but he finished second in the first round to some guy from the left of the party. Whoever wins is likely to finish fourth at best in the general election. Macron is running as an independent, or has set up his own party. A more left wing Socialist party candidate would probably be helpful for him.
Melenchon who is further left is also running independent of the Socialist Party, though.
He could finish ahead of the Socialist Party candidate, but will also take votes away from Macron.
Benoit Hamon appears to be the more left candidate in the Socialist primary, and looks to be ahead of Manuel Valls.
Yeah, but to take the fact that there are other leftist candidates in play to say that the âleftâ isnât running a primary is equivalent to saying the ârightâ didnât run a primary because Le Pen is also running.
Anyway, thatâs splitting hairs. Macronâs strategy is to point out that Fillon is nearly as much a danger to the values of French liberalism as Le Pen, and also that heâs a bit of a shit candidate. Would try to turn the runoff into a referendum on Le Pen then. Amazing really that it looks very plausible that neither of the big traditional parties of left and right might make the runoff.
The current implementation of Trumpâs populist policies in US will galvinise the centrist parties and mainstream media for this yearâs general elections in Europe .
Itâs embarrassing for the left that they arenât going to bother running a candidate for the French election.
Benoit Hamon won the Socialist primary tonight.
What is actually the point of marine le pen running in this? She has zero chance by all accounts, no matter what she does or says.
Donald Trump possibly had less of a chance of being voted president of the United States 6 months ago.
This isnât at all true.
The system stands completely against her. It is what it is, but she cannot win.
Stranger things have happened.
This is up in the air. The French have to choose between Le Pen and a Thatcherite. It has low turnout written all over it.
Hon Le Pen, I canât see the good people of France electing a fudge packer, a victory for Le Pen is a victory for freedom