‘Man of the right’: Why Emmanuel Macron is counting on conservatism to win French election race

With just a fortnight until France’s presidential election begins, incumbent Emmanuel Macron is riding high in the polls, followed some way back by far-right challenger Marine Le Pen in second and pursuers including leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Trumpian populist Eric Zemmour.

Barring any major unforeseen events, Mr Macron and Ms Le Pen will likely head off against each other in the second round of voting – in a repeat of 2017. On the surface, at least, it’s a case of plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same).

But in reality, Mr Macron and the wider landscape of French politics have drastically changed in five years. Back then, the one-time banker presented himself as a liberal outsider who could disrupt fusty political tradition and push through business reform to create a bright and modern start-up nation.