Emmanuel Macron surged ahead in his bid for re-election as president of France on Friday after officially announcing his intention to seek another term.
The 44-year-old is slated to secure 29 per cent of the vote in the first round of April’s vote, a five-point increase since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a BVA/RTL poll released on Friday morning.
Marine Le Pen, the longtime leader of the hard-Right National Rally party, trails more than 10 points behind at 16 per cent, while the centre-Right candidate Valérie Pécresse and far-Right TV pundit Eric Zemmour are tied at 13 per cent.
Meanwhile, only a single candidate on the political Left – the hard-Left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon – is polling in the double digits. The Left has been in disarray since the start of the campaign season, despite calls for unity.
Mr Macron made his campaign official in a short letter published in several major French newspapers on Friday.
“We are experiencing upheavals of unprecedented speed,” the self-described centrist wrote.
“This is why I am asking for your confidence for a new mandate as President of the French Republic. I am the candidate to invent, with you, a unique French and European response to the challenges of the century. I am the candidate to defend our values that the world’s disruptions have threatened.”
He also warned, however, that his devotion to the campaign trail could only be partial – alluding to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine: “Of course, I will not be able to campaign as I would have hoped because of the context. But with clarity and commitment, I will explain our project, our will to continue to move our country forward with each of you.”
Mr Macron, who in recent weeks has cast himself as a mediator between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the West, ceded on Thursday that progress had stalled, following a 90-minute call with the Russian leader.
He tweeted: “I spoke to President Putin this morning. He refuses to stop his attacks on Ukraine at this point. It is vital to maintain dialogue to avoid human tragedy. I will continue my efforts and contacts. We must avoid the worst.”
