Overview
- Citing mid-October polls, national surveys show Marine Le Pen and the Rassemblement National at about 35 percent support while main rivals trail in the low teens.
- The anti‑RN vote is split across multiple candidates, and the entry of former prime minister Gabriel Attal has left the centrist field fragmented and without a single unified challenger.
- Le Pen campaigns on stricter immigration controls and public‑spending cuts, positions she says are needed to restore France’s finances and public order.
- Analysts warn that a Le Pen presidency could change France’s posture in Europe by weakening EU policy cohesion and reducing French backing for financial aid to Ukraine.
- France’s two‑round system and RN’s repeated near‑victories mean the coming months will determine whether divided opposition forces can coalesce to block a first far‑right president.