A new poll conducted after the recent unrest in France shows that there are no significant changes in voters' intentions for the upcoming presidential election in the country. This poll, published by Ifop and Fiducial, was conducted following the violence and looting that occurred during the peaceful protests on Saturday.
Situation of Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate, continues to lead with 34 to 38 percent of the votes in various scenarios. While some of her opponents expected that the unrest would lead to increased support for her, this poll indicates no significant change in her support. At the same time, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the far-left candidate, who the government has accused of inciting violence, remains in a similar position. Mélenchon and his supporters have repeatedly denied this accusation.
Read more: Emmanuel Macron condemns officials' failures in protest unrest
Political Consequences and Reactions
The online poll was conducted from 8 PM on Saturday, after the unrest began, until Monday. According to a senior official from Mélenchon's campaign, "The initial feedback we have received from the regions indicates that the tactic of blaming us for everything is not effective." This poll shows that Mélenchon is in second place in some scenarios or competing closely with his rivals, while his gap with close competitors, Édouard Philippe, the former center-right Prime Minister, and Raphaël Glucksmann, a center-left representative, is in some cases within the margin of error of the poll.
Laurent Nuñez, the Paris prosecutor, stated in an interview with TF1 that he "cannot in any way" confirm the government's analysis based on the profiles of individuals who have been arrested and are under investigation in Paris.
The government continues to face criticism from opponents who claim that it has not managed this crisis properly and are concerned that this could turn into a lasting movement similar to the Yellow Vests protests in 2018. In this context, calls for further protests next Saturday have been published online.
For this reason, Sébastien Lecornu, the French Prime Minister, ordered on Tuesday that a "very large" police force be deployed to prevent a repeat of the scenes of destruction, arson, and chaos. Laurent Nuñez, the Minister of the Interior, announced that the tactical police and military unit usually deployed for counter-terrorism operations in France will also be mobilized.
After curfews were imposed in some areas of the country on Monday, Lecornu announced that this matter has been left to local and regional authorities to extend these regulations for the following night if necessary.
