Conservatives want REVENGE after Le Pen and Macron pushed them out, claims expert
FRANCE'S mainstream parties will look for revenge after Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen pushed them out of this year's election, a political expert has warned.
Journalist: Politicians will seek revenge after French elections
Christine Ockrent, a Belgian journalist who covers French politics, said mainstream politicians felt “disregarded” by voters in France and would look to fight back.
Speaking on The World at One on BBC Radio 4, Ms Ockrent said a win for Emmanuel Macron or Marine Le Pen would be “unprecedented”.
She added Conservatives in France would look to bounce back but “disagreed on everything” with France now “deeply divided”.
Christine Ockrent said Conservatives in France would get their "revenge" after the French election
Politicians are absolutely convinced first of all that they have been disregarded by the French in an unprecedented manner
Ms Ockrent said: “Politicians are absolutely convinced first of all that they have been disregarded by the French in an unprecedented manner with the two mainstream parties being out of the game or at least out of the final contest.
“They also realise that the country is now deeply divided and that they are the ones who have been, in a way, condemned.
“So I think there will be of course, on the mainstream Conservative side, a need for revenge but the Conservative party is split up into two or three groups who disagree on just about everything.
“It’s a daunting task if you consider how split the French have reacted to the first round with all extremes, left and right, when you add them up it’s almost half of the country.
French presidential candidate Mr Macron has pulled ahead of right-wing firebrand Ms Le Pen after a furious war of words in the last TV debate ahead of this Sunday’s vote, a snap poll has claimed.
Ms Le Pen made the most of her final opportunity to trade blows with the En Marche! candidate by hitting out at the political establishment, slamming the crumbling European Union bloc and branding her competitor a “darling of the system”.
But her explosive performance did not do enough to push her ahead of Mr Macron according to a snap Elabe Poll for French TV channel BFMTV.