French Minister Benjamin Haddad Predicts Electorate Will Reject Far Right and Le Pen in Presidential Race

French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad has voiced strong confidence that voters in France will reject political extremism and decline to elect far-right leader Marine Le Pen when choosing a successor to President Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking on Euronews’ interview programme "12 Minutes With," Haddad addressed the political landscape following a recent Elabe poll conducted for BFMTV and La Tribune Dimanche. That survey placed Le Pen comfortably ahead of all potential rivals, projecting her to secure between 34% and 35.5% of the first-round ballot.

Le Pen’s position as a front-runner follows her official clearance to participate in the presidential contest in July, which occurred after an appeals court upheld an embezzlement conviction against the National Rally figurehead.

Despite the daunting polling figures, Haddad downplayed their predictive value. He emphasized that the French public has historically rejected populism, euroscepticism, and extremist platforms when facing decisive electoral choices, expressing confidence that the upcoming contest will yield a similar outcome.

To reinforce his skepticism regarding early polling forecasts, Haddad pointed to the electoral history of President Macron. The minister recalled that when he first began supporting Macron in 2016 as a member of Renaissance—the party initially established as La République En Marche!—the future leader was trailing far behind in national polls.

Macron subsequently surged from third position after formally entering the race in November 2016, briefly leading over Le Pen just weeks before the first round. In April 2017, Macron captured 24% of the initial vote before winning the decisive runoff with 66% against Le Pen’s 34%.

That sweeping margin narrowed substantially when the two met again in 2022. In that contest, Macron secured reelection with 59% of the runoff vote, while Le Pen advanced her share to 41%, demonstrating the steady growth of her electoral base over the preceding five years.

A central element of Haddad’s argument is his assertion that the French populace remains deeply European in its political identity. He maintained that citizens across the country take pride in the prominent leadership role France occupies across the continent, which he viewed as incompatible with Le Pen’s underlying vision.

Haddad placed particular focus on Le Pen’s past policy stances, pointing out that she spent years as the primary champion of French withdrawal from the European Union and the eurozone. Those proposals, often labeled "Frexit," served as central components of her official manifestos during the 2012 and 2017 presidential campaigns.

The minister also highlighted Le Pen's past political alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing her of attempting to rewrite her political history by encouraging voters to overlook her longstanding positions regarding European institutions and international alliances.

While Le Pen no longer overtly advocates for a national referendum on EU membership, Haddad noted that her current platform remains fundamentally eurosceptic. Her agenda still includes pledges to cut back on French budgetary contributions to the European Union and demands to scrap existing continental regulations.

Haddad warned that mainstream political figures must approach the challenge posed by rising populism with genuine humility. He stressed that stopping the far right requires the current government to demonstrate tangible governing competence rather than relying merely on political rhetoric.

According to Haddad, the administration’s foremost obligation is delivering concrete progress on vital issues, including border management, national security, economic prosperity, competitiveness, and collective defense against external foreign threats, all while actively engaging with voters on the ground.

A major hurdle facing the moderate political camp is severe fragmentation, with around 30 political figures already signaling an interest in running as the first round of the election approaches in roughly eight months.

Among the potential candidates within the broad governing alliance and center-right are former prime ministers Gabriel Attal of Renaissance and Édouard Philippe of Horizons, as well as conservative former minister Bruno Retailleau of Les Républicains. The political left also features prominent figures including Jean-Luc Mélenchon of La France Insoumise, Marine Tondelier of the Greens, and Place Publique MEP Raphaël Glucksmann.

Haddad urged the center and center-right to consolidate their support behind a single unified candidate before the end of the year, noting that some contenders have shown openness to participating in a primary process. He concluded that unity is essential as global uncertainties and crumbling geopolitical norms continue to fuel populist momentum, referencing the 2024 European elections where Le Pen’s party defeated Macron’s coalition by more than two to one.