Éric Zemmour had 620 sponsorships on Tuesday, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan 532, and Marine Le Pen 503, according to the list published Tuesday by the institution on its site.

The contenders for the Elysée have until Friday 6:00 p.m. to send their precious sesame to the Constitutional Council, which will then have to verify that the sponsorships come from at least 30 different departments.

In a press release, Éric Zemmour claimed to have gathered his sponsorships "without any outside help, without the support of a political system that is out of breath, nor of the old parties", while François Bayrou, supporter of Emmanuel Macron, launched a "sponsorship bank" having garnered the support of 365 signatories, whose names have not yet been made public.

François Bayrou, who announced Sunday that he would give his sponsorship to Marine Le Pen in the name of democracy, is not among the 503 signatories of the day but "thanks to him", it was specified in the entourage of the RN candidate.

The three candidates thus join the eight other contenders who have already obtained the necessary signatures to be formally on the starting line in the first round on April 10.

LR candidate Valérie Pécresse is leading with 2,457 initials, followed by President Emmanuel Macron, who must still formalize his candidacy by Friday, with 1,785 sponsorships, then socialist Anne Hidalgo (1,318), candidate LFI Jean-Luc Mélenchon (808), ecologist Yannick Jadot (669), communist Fabien Roussel (613), MP Jean Lassalle (602) and Lutte Ouvrière candidate Nathalie Arthaud (568).

LR presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse poses upon arriving at the Hotel Matignon on February 28, 2022 in Paris STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN AFP

But others are still far from obtaining their signatures: the former Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira (181), who had benefited from the support of the Popular Primary, the NPA Philippe Poutou (342) and François Asselineau (263) who had obtained their signatures in 2017, the trade unionist Anasse Kazib (144) or the animalist Hélène Thouy (114).

Prime Minister Jean Castex called on elected officials last Tuesday to "provide their sponsorship" to presidential candidates, stressing that such an approach "is not automatically synonymous with political support".

Nearly 42,000 elected officials, including 34,000 mayors, can grant their sponsorship.

The Constitutional Council posts on its website twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the list updated in real time.

© 2022 AFP