French extreme candidates steam ahead in 2027

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen maintained her lead ahead of the presidential election and far-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon was second in most tested scenarios, a poll showed on Monday, stressing the electorate’s growing polarisation as Emmanuel Macron’s era ends.
Le Pen would garner between 33% and 36% of the votes of the first-round election depending on the scenarios tested by pollster Toluna Harris Interactive, in a survey carried out between September 8 and September 10.
Melenchon, the candidate of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, is seen reaching a run-off in at least three of the five scenarios polled, while he tied for second place in a fourth scenario.
Le Pen is seen beating him easily in a run-off.
Macron’s former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is the only centre-right candidate coming ahead of Melenchon in one scenario tested and tying in another one. The others would end up behind in all scenarios.