Official presidential campaign period under way as polls show boost for Mélenchon
WITH just under two weeks to go before the first round of the presidential elections, the official campaign period gets under way with strict rules on how much air time the candidates may have.
Until midnight on Friday April 21 the 11 candidates must all have equal time to speak in the broadcast media (on the day before the election no more campaigning is allowed). Once the first round is over the two remaining candidates will then be able to campaign again for two weeks before the final round on May 7.
The rules also limit that amount of time allowed for advertising spots for each candidate’s campaign – precisely 43 minutes and limit the display of campaign posters, which should only be put up on official boards provided by mairies.
This comes as left-wing presidential hopeful Jean-Luc Mélenchon (La France Insoumise) has for the first time been placed third in a poll, ahead of François Fillon of right-wing Les Républicains.
The poll by Kantar Sofres-One point for LCI, RTL and Le Figaro showed Mr Mélenchon at 18% in the first round, in front of Fillon with 17%, his popularity having increased by six percentage points since a previous poll in March.
Marine Le Pen (Front National) and Emmanuel Macron (En Marche!) are in the lead with 24% each. After Fillon comes Benoît Hamon (Socialist) with 9%.
Mr Mélenchon’s boost is probably linked to his performance in televised debates according to the polling organisation Elabe, which has found he is now the politician of whom the French people have the most generally ‘positive image’.
A spokesman said people see him as close to ordinary people’s concerns and that he also represents for many people a ‘protest against the system’.
Mr Macron was second in the ‘positive image’ poll.
