Most French voters not concerned about Ukraine – survey

Macron’s attempt to center Kiev in the EU parliament campaign appears to have failed

Security at home is a far more important issue for French voters ahead of the European Parliament election, despite President Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to use the Russia-Ukraine conflict to his advantage.

Macron began ramping up his rhetoric on Ukraine in February, accusing the National Rally (RN) of being Russian stooges and Kremlin sympathizers, while positioning his Renaissance bloc as the “only pro-European campaign.”

An Odoxa poll conducted last week, however, showed only 10% of French voters considering the Ukraine conflict among the top three factors that would influence their vote in the EU election, while 35% named domestic security.

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“This is an election cycle dominated by domestic issues, which lands halfway into Emmanuel Macron’s presidency and can be seen by voters as a midterm vote,” Odoxa researcher Erwan Lestrohan told Politico.

The French are much more concerned with security within their own borders than globally, Lestrohan explained.

While Macron’s government has tried to portray itself as being tough on crime, 70% of Odoxa’s respondents were dissatisfied with the government’s actions to curb drug, gun and immigrant violence. Only 19% believe any of the opposition parties would do better, however, and 50% were convinced that nothing would change.

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Recent EU polls have shown RN on track to win 30% or more of the vote next month, while Renaissance remained stuck at 16%. Moreover, the surveys have shown growing support for Place Publique, a boutique party led by Socialists and Democrats MEP Raphael Glucksmann.

The son of the late philosopher Andre Glucksmann took part in the 2013 Maidan coup in Ukraine and worked as an adviser to former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. He has used Macron’s attempt to peel off RN voters by flanking the president from the left, according to Politico.