The status-quo or a maverick? French Presidential Elections 2022

This event can be watched live at Queen Square or online; please select the correct ticket when booking

In April 2022, the French electorate will go to the polls in the first round of voting for the presidential elections. Unlike 2017, when the incumbent François Hollande did not stand for re-election, this time Emmanuel Macron represents continuity for the French. Macron’s bid to re-secure the Elysée is, however, far from certain. Facing Macron will be at least two relatively well-established politicians from the centre-left (Anne Hidalgo) and centre-right (Valérie Pécresse) and figures from the extreme-right and extreme-left. Of these, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Rassemblement National, is the most-established, though her party has yet to hold national political office. Le Pen’s outsider status will be challenged by the maverick polemicist, Eric Zemmour.

In this talk, Dr David Lees, Associate Professor of French at the University of Warwick, considers the range of candidates standing in the 2022 French presidential elections and examines whether the French are more likely to opt for the status-quo or for a maverick.

This talk is in English. For a talk on the French presidential election given in French, please see Saturday 12 March, Cercle Francais Bath (external group).