French far-left, far-right battle president seat in presidential vote

Voters in France have been gravitating to the political extremes ahead of April's presidential election, according to the latest polling, with the far-right expected to end up victorious.

A survey carried out by Toluna Harris Interactive between Sept 8 and Sept 10 that was published on Monday shows far-right candidate Marine Le Pen comfortably in front of far-left presidential rival Jean-Luc Melenchon in terms of current popularity.

The polling suggests most voters will choose to ignore the vast amount of political space between the two leading candidates in an election in seven months' time that is boiling down to a straightforward battle between far-left and far-right.

The polling predicts Le Pen, from the National Rally, or RN, party will garner between 33 percent and 36 percent of votes during the first round of the presidential election, with Melenchon, from France Unbowed, or LFI, likely to secure around 15.5 percent to 17 percent of the vote and finish second. He is expected, therefore, to make it to the run-off round, where the modeling suggests he will lose by a wide margin.

The major candidate in between the two political extremes, Edouard Philippe, who was a prime minister under France's President Emmanuel Macron, is expected to represent the center-right and could possibly finish second to Le Pen in some scenarios, the pollsters said. But he too is unlikely to trouble her if he makes it into the run-off round.

The polling results were published after an Ipsos France survey released on Sunday showed the nation is gripped by pessimism, with fast-rising prices voters' top concern ahead of the presidential election, meaning both RN and LFI are expected to make the cost-of-living crisis the election's main issue.

"The direct consequences of these negative emotions, of this worry, is a much deeper desire for radical change than in 2022," Ipsos France spokesperson Brice Teinturier told the French daily newspaper Le Monde. "What concerns voters most of all is the issue of purchasing power. It is economic and social issues, far more than immigration, that are of concern."

The survey of 13,060 registered voters found only 17 percent feel hopeful, with 91 percent reporting negative sentiments over the country's current situation. It found 59 percent described themselves as worried, compared to 38 percent in 2021.

Le Pen has sought the presidency three times before and made it to the run-off round in 2017 and 2022 before losing to Macron.

Melenchon stood in the presidential elections of 2012, 2017, and 2022 but has never made it out of the first round.

Political commentators have noted that Macron looks to be leaving behind a depleted political center in France as well as a weakened national economy, factors that have pushed voters to the political extremes.