Macron’s shift to the right, including his treatment of France's Muslim community, makes the upcoming runoff more unpredictable than previous confrontations with the far-right at the polls
that just over a third of Melenchon’s electoral base would vote for Macron, while 23 percent would opt for Le Pen - 44 percent would vote blank or abstain.
Another domestic issue where Macron will struggle to appeal to a sector of Melenchon’s left-wing electorate is the incumbent’s much-criticised record on Islam. About 70 percent of France’s 5.7 million-strong Muslim community backed Melenchon in the first round, in the midst of what they see as President Macron’s attacks on Muslims that include a so-called “anti-separatism” bill passed last July, and the closure of several mosques and groups accused of promoting “Islamist extremism.
“But now, after the policies he implemented, which contributed to the persecution of Muslims, a lot of the electorate don’t see him as credible to block the extreme right. A lot of them think he has enabled the extreme right to access the second round, to be normalised in French society,” she added. “I think it’s doubtful it will work against her because she’ll play the victim,” Lucas argued, “and generally fraud accusations are so complicated to explain to the public when you get into the details of what happened.”
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