This Friday, the French president
Emmanuel Macron called for caution about polls predicting the victory of the National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen in the 2027 presidential election and to “trust the French people”.
During a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Brühl, near Cologne (western Germany), in reference to his own election, he said: “Do be wary of polls. If I may say so, I know many people who were elected in July 2016. They were not necessarily the same ones we found in May 2017”.
“Trust the French people. Do not always predict the worst for them. Let them want the best,” added the French president.
For his part, the German chancellor promised to “extend a hand” to any leader who will be elected in France.
“Germany will always extend a hand to deeper, trust-based cooperation with France, whatever the decision of voters in our two countries,” he said, asked about possible cooperation with Ms. Le Pen.
The two leaders showed a joint position to advance European defense, with several projects underway toward an “associated” nuclear deterrence, to gloss over the failure of the Future Air Combat System (FCAS) project.
With less than a year left in his time at the Élysée, Emmanuel Macron must push ahead on defense dossiers with Paris’s closest ally.
Because the prospect of a victory by the French far-right adds an extra layer of uncertainty for European states already under strong pressure from the Russian threat and the disengagement desired by Donald Trump, who is asking them to do more on military spending.
