French indifference to Ukraine and the EU undermines Macron’s pre-election campaign – Politico

French President Emmanuel Macron is facing a perfect storm. Ahead of the June parliamentary elections in the EU, the president and his allies are trying to convince voters to support a pro-European vision of a strong bloc with Paris playing a central role, focusing on opposition to Russia. However, these ideas are not resonating widely amid a surge of violence and crime within France itself.

This is reported by Politico.

According to the publication, in the eyes of the French, pan-European issues and support for Kyiv still appear to be distant problems. In a recent poll by the research company Odoxa, only one-tenth of respondents named the Ukrainian conflict as one of the top three factors influencing their choice, while more than a third (35%) prioritized the issue of security.

“French people are much more concerned with security within their own borders than global security,” said Odoxa analyst Erwan Lestrohan.

He noted that the current electoral cycle, dominated by domestic issues, is seen by voters as an intermediate vote before the presidential elections.

Macron’s government is diligently trying to prove to the public that it is tough on crime. However, the same Odoxa survey shows that 70% of French people consider the state’s actions on security issues to be “insufficient.”

According to public opinion polls conducted in the EU, the far-right “National Rally” led by Marine Le Pen is set to receive more than 30% of the votes next month. Meanwhile, Macron’s “Renaissance” party is stuck at 16%, as Politico points out.