By Michel Rose

PARIS (Reuters/AP) -President Emmanuel Macron is unlikely to be able to count upon the French voter’s traditional anti-far right side in the final runoff. If he hopes to defeat Marine Le Pen and soften her image, he will need to amplify his campaign.

Macron had a projected score of 28% in the first round, which is better than his 2017, but Macron could not count on winning. Polls show that Macron will lose to Le Pen by a slim margin.

In previous elections at the national, regional, and municipal levels, both right-wing and left-leaning voters have unified to stop the far right from taking power. This phenomenon has been called a republican front’.

All mainstream candidates supported Macron, even those belonging to the Socialist party and the conservative Les Republicains, but it is unclear if their voters will vote for them. Furthermore, the low single-digit scores of their candidates were so deplorable that it is possible their support will be insignificant.

“Among politicians the republican front has set itself in motion. Mathieu Gallard (head of research, Ipsos France) said that it remains to see if voters follow.

The Ifop poll outside the polling stations was taken during Sunday’s vote. It showed Macron winning 51% support from voters in just two weeks. This is an indication of how weakening the “republican” front.

Le Pen, which was more pugnacious about anti-immigration and pro-European Union rhetoric to complicate Macron’s task has mostly dropped it. Instead, she focuses on issues related to cost of living.

A March Ifop poll showed that less than half of French found her “scary” anymore.

On Sunday she spoke out describing herself as a uniting figure that would fix France’s “fractures”, stop its “chaos”, and end the “chaos” caused by Macron. Macron is a former banker she stated embodied the power of money and only worked for the few.

START A BATTLE FOR LEFT

Macron can’t take the left-wing votes for granted.

Jean-Luc Melenchon (third-placed candidate) urged voters to not back Le Pen but did not endorse Macron. It increases the uncertainty over how Macron will be voted for by the 21% projected to have backed far-left-leaning candidates.

Many may opt to not vote, according to surveys.

Lea Druet, 27, a voter in Melenchon said “Macron’s politics… have strengthened the far-right.” She voted in Macron 2017 and stated that she would not be participating in this month’s runoff.

Some Melenchon supporter were not certain. I’ll wait to see what the next two weeks bring. Guillaume Raffi (36) from Montpellier said that if the polls indicate 49 to 51, then I will vote Macron.

Campaign insiders, Macron supporters, and Le Pen campaign staffers say Macron will need to spend more campaigning on ground than in the previous round to challenge Le Pen. Le Pen is a man who has been fueled by anger over the increasing cost of living as well as deep discontent toward a distant elite.

Macron acknowledged that he was late to the campaign and instead devoted his attention to the consequences of war in Ukraine.

Gerard Araud tweeted, “In the 2nd round, Emmanuel Macron must roll up his sleeves a bit longer than he did in the 1st,”.