On the eve of the opening of the official campaign, Jean-Luc Mélenchon cultivates in Marseille his hope of reaching the second round, while Eric Zemmour (Reconquest) and Yannick Jadot (EELV) will try more simply to relaunch their campaigns with successful meetings.

Hurry up.

If the pollsters point out that nothing is quite decided in this election which does not resemble any of those having preceded it, the outgoing Emmanuel Macron and the candidate RN Marine Le Pen are very clearly leading the race in the polls, despite cautious and relatively low-key campaigns.

From Monday, the rigorous rules of the official campaign will put, in the media at least, the twelve candidates on a strictly equal footing.

The meeting which could attract the greatest number of supporters is scheduled for the afternoon by Eric Zemmour, outdoors at the Trocadéro in Paris.

Votes by political color in the presidential elections Sylvie HUSSON AFP/Archives

The campaign of the far-right candidate has, for the first time, chartered dozens of buses to transport activists from all over France and visually carry out a show of force.

Conceived while the candidate was climbing in the polls, this meeting finally took place in full backlash: Eric Zemmour, long threatening to his direct rival Marine Le Pen, is now clearly outdistanced by her.

Le Pen ever smoother

Worse for him, Ms. Le Pen seems to have taken advantage of this competition to refocus, smoothing her image ever more as Eric Zemmour multiplied the radical proposals.

With an irony mixed with concern, three ministers of Emmanuel Macron - Sébastien Lecornu, Julien Denormandie and Bruno Le Maire - denounced Saturday in the Eure the "amazing metamorphosis" of an RN candidate who "makes herself sympathetic" and represents according to them "a real risk" for their candidate.

Marine Le Pen, RN candidate for the presidential election, in Henin Beaumont (northern France) on March 22, 2022 Denis Charlet AFP / Archives

Marine Le Pen is playing counter-programming and refocusing again this weekend, opposing the Trocadéro meeting to a trip without a big meeting in Guadeloupe.

The Reconquest candidate is now vying for fourth place in the voting intentions with the LR candidate Valérie Pécresse who, affected by the Covid-19, brings together activists by videoconference on Sunday.

Both are overwhelmed by the candidate of La France insoumise Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

This one holds in Marseilles a meeting which wants to be enormous, on the beach of Prado, a week after that of Paris.

LFI candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon in Paris on March 20, 2022 Christophe ARCHAMBAULT AFP / Archives

Mr. Mélenchon, whose third presidential campaign is 70 years old - "the most interesting", he said on Saturday - dominates his competitors on the left and wants to impose the idea of ​​​​a useful vote, by dangling to the voters of Anne Hidalgo (PS), Yannick Jadot or Fabien Roussel (PCF) the prospect of their camp's presence in the second round.

Ukraine in the background

At the Zénith de Paris, the ecologist Yannick Jadot will finally hold his first big meeting, where he hopes for 5,000 people.

His campaign has never really taken off, despite French concerns for the climate, but also the activism of the candidate since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, whether to denounce the presence in Russia of TotalEnergie or the anti-NATO position of Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

The tragedy of Ukraine and the fears it poses for peace in Europe has also monopolized Emmanuel Macron in recent days, limiting the outgoing president's ability to campaign.

LR candidate Valérie Pécresse in Paris on March 24, 2022 Alain JOCARD AFP / Archives

The president, for once as a candidate, is the guest on Sunday of the Sunday program in politics on France 3, which also hosts Marine Le Pen in duplex from the West Indies.

The RN candidate was briefly interrupted by protesters at the end of this interview recorded on Saturday evening.

Mr. Macron will finally return to the electoral field on Monday, for a trip to Dijon on the themes of youth, vocational training and city policy: three left-wing political "markers" for the outgoing, including the "in same time" leaned to the right for a long time.

The socialist candidate Anne Hidalgo, relegated to some 3% of voting intentions, is for her part the guest of France Inter, Franceinfo and Le Monde.

© 2022 AFP