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FRANCIA Social unrest in France weakens Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal as the extremes gain ground
France Info describes a simultaneous decline for Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal amid a tense social climate. According to the outlet, the situation is helping Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the polls.
Amid a new wave of social tension in France, with demonstrations announced for Saturday, France Info reports that the political climate is hurting Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, two figures closely associated with Emmanuel Macron’s record.
According to the broadcaster, Philippe, the mayor of Le Havre, is losing ground in the presidential race and now trails Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the battle to reach a potential runoff. At the same time, Attal’s standing is also falling as he tries to regain momentum with moves such as calling for a primary among democratic forces to choose a single joint candidate.
France Info says that proposal, which would have stretched from Raphaël Glucksmann to Bruno Retailleau, was immediately rejected by those figures and by Philippe as well. The outlet portrays the initiative as another episode in the rivalry between the two men, one that is weakening both rather than settling their competition.
According to France Info, the main burden for the two former prime ministers is their association with Macron. Even though both have tried to distance themselves from the president, they are still seen as heirs to Macronism. Philippe called last year for the head of state to resign, while Attal argues for a break with a president he says he no longer understands, the outlet noted.
The picture becomes even more difficult amid a social crisis that is shaking the executive branch and leaving them as two of its last visible backers. France Info says the open question is whether they will continue separately to the end or eventually seek some form of political understanding, even as time makes such a reconciliation harder.
In that broader context, Le Monde also reported that, one week after the racist attack in Trappes, several thousand people were expected to attend a Friday evening tribute to the victims, alongside the main left-wing presidential candidates. The newspaper highlighted the absence of Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
