- Title: Socialist French minister may back Macron as left talks founder
- Date: 21st February 2017
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (FEBRUARY 21, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MACRON ALLY OLIVIER VERAN SPEAKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (French) MACRON ALLY, OLIVIER VERAN, SAYING: "I am happy to see that some within the Socialist Party say that the effort of gathering progressive forces can also be done with Emmanuel Macron. People only speak about the relationship between the Front de Gauche can
- Embargoed: 7th March 2017 13:44
- Keywords: France election Hollande Le Foll Macron Le Pen presidential
- Location: PARIS, MENTON AND VERSAILLES, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, MENTON AND VERSAILLES, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA00564GS093
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A senior Socialist minister said on Tuesday (February 21) he might back centrist Emmanuel Macron in France's presidential election, a blow to his party's official candidate and a potential boost for Macron, who is battling to stay favourite in opinion polls.
A daily survey by Opinionway pollsters showed the tight, multi-faceted race was still wide open with less than nine weeks to go.
According to the latest poll on Tuesday, the young and charismatic centrist Macron was shown to win the presidential election next may in a second round against National Front's Marine Le Pen.
The Socialist nominee Benoit Hamon, who is pushing a hard-left programme, would only reach fourth position in the first round and not make it through.
In a blow to Hamon, Socialist agriculture minister and government spokesman Stephane Le Foll on Tuesday became the second minister to suggest he might defect to Macron.
"Who can reach the second round to avoid a duel between Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen? That's the question and that's the one I will ask myself," said Le Foll on BFM TV.
Asked whether this meant his backing would depend on who was best placed to prevent a Le Pen versus conservative party candidate Francois Fillon runoff, he said: "Exactly!"
"I am happy to see that some within the Socialist Party say that the effort of gathering progressive forces can also be done with Emmanuel Macron. People only speak about the relationship between the Front de Gauche candidate (Jean-Luc) Melenchon and the Socialist Party candidate, but I really think that if we want to see a progressive candidate in the second round of the presidential election and win this presidential election and avoid a second round between a candidate of a conservative and nationalist right that is Francois Fillon and the candidate of the National Front, then we need to agree on something," said a Macron ally - and a socialist - Olivier Veran at a colloquium presenting policies on healthcare of the different presidential candidates.
Opinionway's polls on Tuesday put Le Pen on 26 percent in the first round with Macron and Fillon both on 21, Hamon on 15 and Melenchon on 11, little changed from recent days.
But it is in the second round where the Le Pen vote has been advancing. Opinionway showed her losing there with 42 percent of the vote, holding onto the gains she has made, particularly in a Macron contest, in recent days. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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