Valerie Pecresse, who won the ticket for Les Republicans, a center-right party, is likely to give the President Emmanuel Macron the toughest challenge in an eventual run-off to upcoming French elections next year. A leading opinion poll showed her climbing several steps ahead levelling with far-right pundit Eric Zemmour, and slightly behind another far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. Although she is far behind in the survey that put incumbent Macron – who has yet to formally declare a re-election bid—her rise in the polls is significant.


Pecresse, 54, who describes herself as “1/3 Thatcher 2/3 Merkel” may attract centre-right vote bank of Macron, but will still need support from more conservative voters also sought after by Zemmour and Le Pen, the two far-right candidates. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-12-06/pecresse-a-danger-to-macron-in-french-election-run-off-if-she-can-get-there-opinion-poll.


The popularity of Zemmour, the reactionary far-right candidate, seems to be waning fast after he made a dramatic entry with his incendiary speeches and opinion columns in newspapers, three months ago. The seasoned far-right star Le Pen, immensely popular among the working classes, also may be squeezed out if Pécresse can keep up her momentum. https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20211215-macron-steps-into-campaign-mode-as-conservative-rival-p%C3%A9cresse-climbs-in-polls


Sensing a strong support base of two far-right candidates, Pecresse also has taken a tough stance against immigrants promising she would wipe out “zones of non-France”, or neighborhoods with high crimes and drug deals. She even promised to send her Republican cadres to crime-infested areas and punish offenders more severely, if elected to power.


Poised as center-to-right is a moderate conservative, Pecresse seems to be the best candidate to compete with President Macron. She can reach out to moderates and traditional conservatives—who are not fearful of immigrants or less obsessed with French identity—in a far easier way than the far-right candidates.


Also, like Macron she is educated in the French Ivy League colleges and is well conversant in English, a language required for international relations. She is also business friendly and believes in a strong and united Europe.


READ MORE: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/18/world/europe/france-valerie-pecresse-republicans.html