"Vote!"

is the theme of the public meeting chaired by the RN candidate on Thursday evening at the city's exhibition center.

"If the French move, then Emmanuel Macron will be beaten," says Jordan Bardella, head of the RN.

Scalded by its failure in the regional elections in June, due in particular to the abstention of its own voters, working classes and young people in mind, Marine Le Pen is keen this time to take them to the polls.

On the rise in the polls, it is given in the second round behind Emmanuel Macron and their gap continues to narrow.

"The fact that it is possible (to win) is a mobilization booster", hopes the RN mayor of Perpignan, Louis Aliot.

His team even suggests that a meeting is planned for April 14 in Avignon, ruling out the possibility of a failure in the first round.

“Everything will be played out” and “even more this time, in the differential mobilization of each camp”, estimates Nonna Mayer, director of research emeritus at the CNRS specialist in the FN electorate (now RN).

"Dynamic"

Ms. Mayer underlines in Mediapart the "dynamics" of Marine Le Pen, credited with 21 to 23% of voting intentions (21.3% of votes in 2017): embarrassed, even exceeded in the polls at the start of the campaign by Eric Zemmour , she ends up refocused by the radicalism of her rival.

Between chats and confidences on the couch, the candidate herself has smoothed her image a lot, even if her project also remains "radical" on immigration and institutions.

A foil for some women, Eric Zemmour also contributed to more women being able to vote for the RN candidate.

Certainly Marine Le Pen still arouses the concern of a majority of French people (51%) but now 39% (against 21% in 2017) consider that she has the makings of a President of the Republic, notes the Jean Foundation -Jaurès, far behind Emmanuel Macron (65%).

Activists come to support Marine Le Pen, presidential candidate of the far-right National Rally party, on March 25, 2022 in Saint-Martin-Lacaussade, Gironde ROMAIN PERROCHEAU AFP / Archives

Favoring small meetings in the France of the "forgotten", she defended purchasing power there, which had become all the more a priority for the French with the war in Ukraine, which caused prices to soar.

Putting the fight against immigration, which has never been abandoned, in the background.

Refusing to support the sanctions against Russia which would strain the household budget, Marine Le Pen "turned a disadvantage to her advantage, by making people forget everything else" of her closeness with Vladimir Putin, who had received her in 2017, notes Mrs Mayer.

"Quiet strength"

"The quiet force is us", launched in June Marine Le Pen, for the third time candidate, taking up a formula from the (victorious) campaign of François Mitterrand, elected in 1981 on his third attempt.

She places herself above her rivals but also far from her party, of which she has entrusted the reins to Jordan Bardella.

A formation which is still very indebted, has lost members and many elected officials in the intermediate polls (municipal and regional).

Not to mention those who have joined Eric Zemmour, including his niece Marion Maréchal.

"No longer being at the head of my movement freed me from the partisan battle. Today I am ready to govern," she told Le Figaro.

Louis Aliot had himself campaigned in the municipal elections without the label of the far-right party, eager to attract voters other than those of the RN.

Wanting to be a candidate for "civil peace" against the president of "chaos", Marine Le Pen also led a risk-free campaign, moving mainly to her strongholds in the south and north of France.

While in Brittany or Guadeloupe, she met opponents.

Anxious to avoid any last-minute hiccups, Marine Le Pen's program was lightened this week.

No passage on France 2 Monday evening, nor displacement Wednesday, and cancellation of a last event Thursday.

"You have to save money," says his entourage, who does not want to exhaust his candidate as in 2017. Nor squander his capital of voting intentions.

© 2022 AFP