Marine Le Pen readies presidency bid as Macron weakens

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Marine Le Pen has announced she’s preparing for a potential early presidential election in France, citing President Emmanuel Macron’s diminishing ability to effectively govern the nation.

Speaking to Le Parisien, the National Rally leader revealed she has initiated preparations “as a precaution, given the fragility of Emmanuel Macron, the few institutional levers he has left.” She emphasized that Macron has “lost control everywhere” and declared that for “Emmanuel Macron, it’s over or almost.”

BREAKING: Marine Le Pen has told French newspaper Le Parisien that she is "preparing for an early Presidential Election" given the "fragile situation" of President Emmanuel Macron.

France is about to wake up from its worst nightmare. Marine will Make France Great Again! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/vHuCN0NFTr

— Cillian (@CilComLFC) December 17, 2024

Despite Macron’s stated intention to complete his second term through 2027, Le Pen suggested several factors could force an early departure, including potential actions by international creditors responding to France’s mounting debt crisis.

Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate, currently maintains a substantial lead in polls for potential successors to Macron. However, her path to the presidency faces significant obstacles, including an ongoing legal battle involving allegations of EU fund misappropriation against her and other National Rally members.

The legal proceedings, scheduled to conclude in March, could potentially result in a five-year ban from national office for Le Pen, effectively ending her presidential ambitions.

Marine Le Pen:

“If I was afraid of anything, I’d get a job with absolutely no risk. Instead, I’m FIGHTING for my Country and my people, and I’m ready to make a LOT of sacrifices for them.”

France is so lucky to have her! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/JkQ5kQIh3v

— Cillian (@CilComLFC) November 16, 2024

Beyond legal challenges, Le Pen must navigate France’s distinctive electoral system, which was specifically designed to maintain establishment party dominance. The two-round voting process has historically enabled mainstream parties to form strategic alliances against outsider candidates, as demonstrated in 2002 when both left and right united behind Jacques Chirac to prevent Jean-Marie Le Pen’s victory.

However, public sentiment appears to be shifting against the establishment. Recent polling indicates growing support for constitutional reform, with 56 percent of French citizens favoring the dissolution of the Fifth Republic, established in 1958, in favor of a Sixth Republic. The same survey revealed that 75 percent of respondents hold an unfavorable view of President Macron.