Poll Shows La Pen In Lead In France

A recent survey found that the party of Marine Le Pen could win a majority in the country’s parliament should elections be held in the near future. The leader of the National Rally party has drawn comparisons to former President Donald Trump, especially in her rhetoric seeking a significant reduction of immigration to the European country.

The poll was commissioned by the Les Républicains (LR) party last December. Should there be elections held for the nation’s parliament, Le Pen’s party would likely receive the largest share of the vote.

There are 289 seats needed for a majority, and the National Rally could receive between 243 and 305, according to the poll.

President Emanuel Macron’s En Marche party would receive only between 117 and 165, according to the same poll. This would represent a significant decrease in their share of the parliament.

Well, here's the craziest poll in Europe in years.

Le Pen's party is capable of winning a majority in legislative elections, according to Ipsos.

This is one of the last remaining pieces of conventional wisdom around the far-right to be broken. People thought this was impossible pic.twitter.com/Tuh49dxrW7

— Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) March 15, 2024

There has been significant concern in France regarding immigration for years, with the issue growing significantly in recent months. Last year France suffered a series of riots after police shot a young man who stole a vehicle and allegedly drove it recklessly in the country.

Much of the rioting centered around the neighborhoods of African and Muslim immigrants to the country.

In addition, there have been a number of Islamic extremist attacks in the country since the conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas began last October. This included one attack by two foreign-born young people who beheaded a teacher and injured another.

There have been multiple attacks in and around Paris, including a stabbing attack near the Eiffel Tower.

Macron has attempted to handle both the increase in violence and criticism for his government’s reaction to it. He began a more aggressive repatriation strategy to deport non-French citizens who espoused extremist views.

Earlier this month the French government deported an Algerian-born imam who allegedly called for violence.

The next presidential election is set for 2027. Macron will be term-limited and cannot seek a third term in office. Le Pen saw a large increase in her support in the 2022 presidential election, gaining more than 41% against Macron.

This was a significant boost over her almost 34% she earned in the 2017 presidential election, also against Macron.