France’s presidential race heats up with many contenders in center ring

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - As the race for France's presidency enters its final weeks, the list of contenders continues to grow and has a breadth of personalities that's just about as wide as one could imagine.

The first round of France's 2022 presidential election is set for April 10, with a second-round, a runoff vote, on April 24. Believe it or not, as of March 2, as many as 40 hopefuls have tossed their hat into the ring for residency at the Elysee. Only one, however, can unseat Emmanuel Macron from his Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore address.

Elections in France are held every five years and always on a Sunday, an oddity for a country that still resembles its former very-Catholic self, where many entities and businesses remain shuttered on the day of rest. The dates are fixed in France's constitution. The president is also elected by popular vote, as has been the case for the past 56 years.

A number of women crowd the field, such as current Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and veteran far-right leader Marine Le Pen, along with many men who have taken the center stage before, not least among them current President Emmanuel Macron, the Green Party's Yannick Jadot and far-right pundit Eric Zemmour.

Getting on the ballot isn't a snap: Contenders must receive the endorsement of 500 elected officials around France, who back their run on the record with France's Constitutional Council, which must happen by March 4. In a move that was thought to be a high strategy more than hedging of any sort, President Macron was the last to announce his candidacy on the evening of March 4. The war in Ukraine was thought to have hindered his decision, but in no way did it really interfere with a decision that the president had already made.

In a move thought to be a high strategy more than hedging of any sort, President Macron was the last to announce his candidacy on the evening of March 4. Russia's war in Ukraine was thought to have hindered his decision, but in no way did it really interfere with a conclusion that the president had already made.

Despite the large numbers, the main candidates to know bring a variety of profiles, strengths and weaknesses to the table. It should make for an interesting race.

Nathalie Arthaud, Workers' Struggle Party: 51 and familiar. This is Arthaud's third attempt at gaining the presidency. A high school economics teacher in Seine Saint-Denis just outside of Paris, Arthaud is no slouch when it comes to her popularity: She gained .56% of the presidential vote in her 2012 run, followed by .64% in 2017. Her book, Communist, Revolutionary, Internationalist!, espouses a discussion of the main ideas of her "revolt and activism" -- a true Marxist sharing of the exercise of power and a way of gain and profit.

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Stand Up France: Representing a party of his own founding, Dupont-Aignan is on his third try for the top political spot after 2012 and 2017 runs, during the second of which he allied with fellow far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the runoff. Le Pen, however, along with newcomer but familiar television face Eric Zemmour, will challenge Dupont-Aignan for those who vote along right-leaning lines. A Sciences Po graduate and three-time mayor of the Paris suburb of Yerres, Dupont-Aignan stands for "common sense in action."

Anne Hidalgo, Socialist Party and mayor of Paris: Controversial yet popular, Hidalgo easily won reelection last fall for the capital's top job but is not slated to snatch the presidency. The 62-year-old was thwarted in her run this past December when she called for a cross-party primary to build unity and momentum, only to have two of those on her side -- Greens candidate Yannick Jadot and Leftist Front leader Jean-Luc Melenchon -- declare their own candidacy. Hidalgo has raised eyebrows with her firm anti-automobile stance within city limits, carving out bike lanes all around Paris in her vision for a more environmentally-friendly 21st-century metropolis.

Yannick Jadot, Green Party: A fierce critic of President Macron, Jadot is a member of the European Parliament and an environmentalist. Elected to the Brussels body in 2009, he is the former head of Greenpeace France. The Greens then chose him as their candidate in 2016, but Jadot bowed out in order to bolster fellow leftist Benoit Hamon. He has made a strong showing to date (he won 51.03% of the vote in the primary) with his record in parliament and the disenchantment by some with the current sitting executive.

Jean Lassalle, Résistons!: A member of the National Assembly representing the fourth constituency in the Pyrenees-Atlantique region from which he hails, Lassalle holds favor with voters of very rural France as a result of his roots. His parents were itinerant farmers, and the candidate adheres to true French values. Lassalle gained 1.21% of the vote during his run in 2017, a statistic he hopes to repeat this time around. The 66-year-old made a name for himself in 2006 when he carried out a 39-day hunger strike to protest the closing of a factory in his district.

Marine Le Pen, National Rally: The third time's the charm, or so hopes far-right favorite Le Pen. A lawyer by training, the candidate got as far as a third-round runoff in 2017 and was the first far-right finalist since her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, managed the same when the party was called the National Front. Le Pen then stepped into his shoes as head of the party in 2011 and earned 17.9% of the vote in 2012. Her tumble in 2017, however, came after a crushing loss during a TV debate with Emmanuel Macron. Le Pen is known for her nationalism and her controversial remarks but has nonetheless tapped into a following in France that keeps her in the spotlight.

Emmanuel Macron, Republic on the Move and current French President: The incumbent and current resident of #55 assumed the highest office in the land at the young age of 39. Now 44, many might characterize France's president as hugely successful, given all he's faced over the past five years, including crushing strikes, changing diplomacy, a global and deadly pandemic that had France at its epicenter, and now a war not too far from his country's shores. In the announcement of his candidacy last Friday, Macron vowed to strengthen France, as well as Europe, in the face of an "accumulation of crises."

Jean-Luc Melenchon, France Unbowed: 70-year-old Melenchon is in his third bid for the presidency. A radical leftist, he was until the end of last year a member of the National Assembly representing the fourth constituency of the southern Bouches-du-Rhones region over the past five years. Melenchon broke from the leftist Socialist Party to run first in 2012 with the Leftist Front and five years ago earned 19.58% of the vote with his current party (also known as LFI), which he founded in 2016 and which also put him near a place in the runoff. Melenchon was, from 1986 until 2004, a member of the French Senate.

Valerie Pecresse, The Republicans: Pecresse has been cast as the leading contender against Macron. She currently serves as president of the regional council of the Ile-de-France department, which encompasses Paris, and has served as a Cabinet minister under Nicolas Sarkozy, counselor to the Council of State and to President Jacques Chirac, and a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007. At 54, Pecresse won her party's primary in December against fierce opponent Eric Ciotti. Despite her conservative party's stance, Pecresse is viewed as moderate. Her party, however, has seen many high-profile defections, both to Macron's party and that of far-right candidates.

Philippe Poutou, New Anticapitalist Party: Former trade unionist, car factory worker and now far-left politician, Poutou brings bravado that just might gain him traction in his third bid for the presidency. The 54-year-old hailed from the Paris suburb of Villemomble and was a secretary of the General Confederation of Labor at Ford Motor Company in Aquitaine until his factory closed three years ago, at which time Poutou made his face and name known as the lead negotiator in the trade union talks. He currently serves as a city councillor of Bordeaux, a post to which he was elected in 2020.

Fabien Roussel Poutou, French Communist Party: Poutou, 52, currently serves as his party's secretary and will be the first to run on their ticket in 15 years. He serves in the lower house of the National Assembly for a district in France's former rustbelt. Social justice and law and order are his issues, as well as giving his storied party a new shot at the highest political office.

Eric Zemmour, Reconquest Party: Highly controversial but gaining ground, Zemmour has been termed "France's Trump" with an ever-skeptical French public who deem President Macron a leader for the rich. The candidate gained ground as a talking head for years, appearing on numerous television programs, but has been called on the carpet for racist and xenophobic remarks on more than one occasion. He campaigns on anti-Islam and anti-immigration themes, which have earned him three separate convictions in the Paris court, the latest this January. Zemmour is 63.