Marine Le Pen and her Rassemblement National party are enjoying increased trust and an uptick in image perception, making her the second most popular political figure in the country, according to a poll published on Tuesday.
An opinion poll conducted by the ViaVoice Institute for Libération confirmed Le Pen’s position as the second most popular political figure, with 37% of positive opinions, second only to Edouard Philippe, Emmanuel Macron’s former prime minister and potential candidate for the 2027 presidential elections.
As for Le Pen’s image, almost a third (29%) say it has improved in recent months, with a majority seeing her as “courageous” (60%), although a similar number see her as “authoritarian” (61%).
However, while a majority still judge her as “radical” (58%), the number of people describing her as “competent” (43%) and as being able to “provide useful solutions for the French people” (44%) is evolving positively despite 48% saying she is “not reassuring”.
More generally, the survey also reads that the number of people highlighting her qualities is rising, while those pointing out her shortcomings are declining.
For Le Pen, “the battle for respectability has been won, and the battle for credibility seems to be well underway”, explains Adrien Broche, head of political research at ViaVoice.
This momentum is also felt by Le Pen’s party Rassemblement National (RN), which, according to the survey, inspires the most confidence among voters (20%), ahead of the president’s majority party (15%), the left-wing alliance NUPES (14%) and the right-wing Les Républicains (13%).
Le Pen’s party also performed better than other parties among voters when dealing with most current political issues, especially on security, immigration and racism, and slightly worse on purchasing power, education and employment.
However, voters are less confident in Le Pen’s party regarding the environment, with 15% preferring the Left on this issue, compared to 13% who trust the far-right party, which nevertheless remained ahead of Macron’s camp and the right.
On Europe-related issues, RN is on a par with Macron’s party, Renaissance, as 18% of those surveyed backed both parties on such matters( 18%).
Mélenchon’s movement “more dangerous”
The study adds that the French also view the RN more positively than La France insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s movement and the leading political formation on the left.
Of those surveyed, 36% consider the LFI “more dangerous” than the RN, while 28% consider both equally dangerous. The RN is also described as “more credible” and “more competent” than the LFI by more than a third of respondents (35-36%). No more than 19% think the opposite.
Le Pen’s party is also perceived as slightly less radical than Mélenchon’s movement (25% vs. 27%) and less violent (22% vs. 32%).
“These are all signals not just of a ‘banalisation’ [of the RN], but of a genuine ‘notabilisation’,” said ViaVoice’s Broche. In his view, “the attitude chosen by the radical left MPs may have served as a lightning rod” for the RN.
EU election hype
Unsurprisingly, party president and MEP Jordan Bardella announced on Sunday that he would lead the RN list in next June’s European elections, and he is currently leading the poll, confirming the momentum that has been building for months.
With 25% of voting intentions, according to an IFOP poll for the JDD published on Sunday, he is ahead of the Renaissance/Renew list (21% to 23%) as well as all the right-wing and left-wing lists (around or below 10%) – taken separately.
(Davide Basso | EURACTIV.fr)
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