French President, Emmanuel Macron, will be declaring his decision to stand for another term in the upcoming April 2022 elections, which he is widely expected to win, sources in his campaign team said on Thursday, March 3, 2022.
The first round of elections will come off on April 10, 2022, followed by a second-round run-off two weeks later. However, the campaign is being dominated by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
According to sources, Macron, who has until now declined to officially confirm he is standing, will announce his intentions in a “letter to the French” that will be published online later on Thursday, March 3, 2022.
The President, who has been at the centre of diplomacy over Ukraine, has left his official declaration to the last minute with the deadline set by the authorities at 6 pm (1700 GMT) on Friday, March 4, 2022.
There was little suspense about the 44-year-old’s intentions, but the announcement has been repeatedly delayed because of the crisis in eastern Europe that has seen Macron take a prominent role in diplomatic talks.
President Macron is yet to be engaged in any official campaigning but has scrapped a rally planned in Marseille this weekend due to the Ukraine crisis.
What are the expectations?
Ahead of Friday’s (March 4, 2022) deadline for candidates to stand, polls widely showed Mr. Macron as the front runner in the two-round election scheduled for April 10, 2022, and April 24, 2022, with the war turning the attention to foreign policy rather than the domestic issues favoured by his opponents.
Antoine Bristielle, a public opinion expert at the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, a Paris think tank stated that “In a crisis, citizens always get behind the flag and line up behind the head of state.”
“The other candidates are inaudible. In every media, all anyone is talking about is the invasion.”
Antoine Bristielle, a public opinion expert at the Jean-Jaurès Foundation
One ruling party’s Member of Parliament disclosed earlier this week that the Ukraine crisis meant Macron’s rivals were “boxing on their own”, while several polls have shown his personal ratings rising.
President Macron, a former investment banker, admitted in a national address on Wednesday (March 2, 2022) night that the crisis had “hit our democratic life and the election campaign” but promised “an important democratic debate for the country” would take place.
Voter surveys currently tip the centrist to win the first round of the election with 26 percent and then triumph in the April 24 (2022) run-off irrespective of his opponent.
Macron’s handling of Ukraine crisis viewed favourably
After five years in office, Macron’s biggest challenge comes from opponents on his right, who have accused him of being lax on immigration, soft on crime and slow to defend French culture. These include the conservative, Valérie Pécresse from the Republican party, far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen and anti-Islam media pundit, Éric Zemmour.
On the left, four mainstream candidates are competing, which is expected to split the vote which will eventually lead to all of them being eliminated in the first round.
Macron’s camp has anticipated the right moment to launch his candidacy since early February, but the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has seen his agenda filled with either foreign trips or talks with other leaders.
On Thursday, March 3, 2022, he spoke for the third time in a week to Russian President, Vladimir Putin and again with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
A recent poll by the Elabe group, published on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, showed that confidence in Macron’s “ability to tackle the main problems of the country” was a massive five points in the mouth of French nationals.
Another poll by the Harris Interactive group showed 58 percent of French people hold a favourable view of his handling of the Ukraine crisis.
Allies of the President are quietly confident of the upcoming election outcome, but analysts have warned that many voters remain undecided, hence that sentiment can swing sharply in the final weeks of campaigning.
READ ALSO: Angola: Consumer Spending to Grow by 3.4% Over 2022- Fitch Solutions
