‘Dead cert’ Macron books a victory party at the Louvre
THE man who is favourite to become France’s new president after tomorrow’s election has already booked the venue for his celebration – Paris’s world famous Louvre museum.
Emmanuel Macron, 39, will beat his far-Right rival Marine Le Pen, 48, by as much as 60 per cent if the opinion polls are correct.
Ms Le Pen’s Front National party has – significantly – not announced where their candidate will be after polls close.
Previous new presidents have chosen more modest party sites, such as restaurants or campaign headquarters. But on the last day of campaigning today, one of Mr Macron’s aides said: “The Louvre will be the venue.”
Crowds will gather in front of the glass pyramid at the centre of the historic art gallery’s courtyard.
The museum, which dates back to the 12th century, is the biggest in the world and contains masterpieces including the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
Mr Macron’s political movement En Marche! (On The Move) had originally wanted to use the Champs de Mars, in front of the Eiffel Tower, but permission was refused. Mr Macron and Ms LePen have been involved in an increasingly bitter contest, accusing each other of being unfit to live up to the grandeur of the French presidency.
Paris prosecutors have just opened an investigation into suggestions by Ms Le Pen that her rival – a former merchant banker – has a hidden offshore bank account in the Bahamas.
Mr Macron has lodged a legal complaint about “the spreading of false information”, while accusing Ms Le Pen of running a deceitful and divisive campaign.
Mr Macron’s last event yesterday was a live broadcast with the independent Paris news site Mediapart, while Ms Le Pen was finishing her campaign with a TV interview.
There will be no campaigning at all today before the polls open tomorrow morning.
A quarter of the French electorate is expected to abstain in the presidential run-off, according to a poll by Odoxa. The projected abstention rate would underline the sense of disillusionment felt by many voters over the choice between centrist Macron and farRight Le Pen.
Figures show the turnout for the first round of the election was close to 78 per cent.
That round saw all mainstream candidates eliminated, leaving Mr Macron, who has never stood for elected office before, facing Ms Le Pen, who opposes Muslim immigration and has questioned France’s membership of the euro currency.
Mr Macron was a member of the socialist government of current president Francois Hollande.