Polls put Marine Le Pen ahead as French moderates split

Polls currently put Marine Le Pen ahead in France's 2027 presidential race as divided moderate and left-wing forces struggle to unite before the vote.

Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, is polling at about 35 percent in the first round, though surveys could shift before the election. Polls cited by AFP also forecast a runoff victory for her against any opponent.

President Emmanuel Macron cannot run again after a decade in office. More than 30 declared or potential candidates from the left, centre and right are competing for voters outside the far-right and hard-left camps.

France's two-round presidential system means a crowded first round could split the moderate vote and help put Le Pen in a runoff. AFP reported that hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon may be better placed than some centrists to reach the second round, though polls currently predict Le Pen would defeat him.

Edouard Philippe, Macron's first prime minister, is seen as the candidate best placed to unite the centre and right against the far right. But Gabriel Attal, another former prime minister, is also seeking the centrist mantle. Attal has said he is open to a primary, while Philippe has said he is not interested.

On the left, the Socialists and Raphael Glucksmann's Place Publique plan to hold a primary in October. Political scientist Remi Lefebvre said the left had “never” had so many parties and so many weak parties, adding: “There is no clear leader.”