Irish Examiner view: Warning signs for Macron re-election

The French president has lost ground because of the understandable distraction of the first war in central Europe for over 70 years

French president Emmanuel Macron delivering his speech during a presidential campaign news conference in Aubervilliers, France. Picture: Thibault Camus/AP

What to make, then, of Emmanuel Macron, whose re-election credentials appeared firmly in place two months ago but who has lost ground because of the understandable distraction of the first war in central Europe for over 70 years.

Ahead of Sunday’s first round of voting, the newspaper Le Monde warned there were ominous signs of a repeat of the “2002 syndrome”, where low projected turnout, campaign complacency, and a high number of undecided voters made the outcome unpredictable and open to a last-minute “coup de théâtre”. In 2002, Jean-Marie Le Pen’s National Front beat the socialists to second place, although the final poll two weeks later was a landslide for Jacques Chirac.