MIGHTIER THAN LE PEN? Macron is atop the polls going into the first round of elections, trailed by Le Pen, the leader of the National Front.
THE 3,000 screaming French expats who greeted French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron at a London rally in February were gunning against the establishment. Thirty-nine and short, with dark locks, a strong jawline and an unwavering stare, Macron draws comparisons from aides to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign because of his youthful promise of change.
“Don’t boo or hiss at my rallies,” he told the crowd, channeling the former U.S. president. “That is for people without hope.” Macron and the Trumpian National Front leader Marine Le Pen are expected to lead the field in the first round of voting on April 23, setting up a runof on May 7. If they do, it will be the first time the final round has not included a candidate from a mainstream center-left or center-right party.