The latest public opinion poll published in France shows that in a political situation where central politics is declining and extreme poles are gaining strength, far-right Marine Le Pen and left-wing representative Jean-Luc Mélenchon will make it to the second round of the presidential election.
In a country marked by the high cost of living, stagnant economy and geopolitical instability, voters may face a direct showdown between the far right and left at the ballot box.
According to the survey conducted by Toluna Harris Interactive for the French television channel M6 and the Luxembourg-based media group RTL between 22 and 24 September, Le Pen and Mélenchon advance to the second round in all five different tested scenarios.
According to the Reuters news agency, Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party, reached a vote rate of 35 to 36 percent in the first round.
Le Pen was at 33 percent in the previous poll published on September 14.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the Unyielding France (LFI) movement, becomes Le Pen's opponent in the second round by receiving between 17 and 18 percent of the votes in the first round.
Former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, who stands out as the strongest candidate of the centre, remains out of the second round, staying between 13 and 16 percent.
Survey data indicate that Le Pen finished the race ahead of her two possible opponents in the second round.
According to the research, Le Pen reached 69 percent support against Mélenchon and 57 percent against Philippe in the second round.
The partial Senate elections held just before the presidential race polls also confirmed the leap of the far right at the local level.
By increasing the number of seats in the Senate, the National Union gained the right to establish an official parliamentary group in the upper house of parliament.
By exceeding the 11-seat threshold required to form a group in the Senate, the far-right party directly increased its representation in the upper house.
Different figures were expressed in the statements made within the party regarding the election results.
According to the news of the AFP agency, while the party management announced that they reached 15 seats, National Union President Jordan Bardella announced that they will establish a joint group with a total of 14 seats with the participation of two members elected from the Right Union for the Republic (UDR) party led by Éric Ciotti.
This level reached in the Senate, where the far right took a step with only two seats in 2014 and remained with three seats in 2023, was described as a "historical turning point" by the party management.
In her assessment on her social media account, Le Pen stated that the result exceeded expectations and that the Senate group would serve as a basic platform in the presidential campaign.
At the other end of the political spectrum, the France Indomitable movement, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, also gained its first seat in the Senate.
Although far-right and left-wing representatives entered the upper chamber for the first time, the majority in the Senate remained in the hands of the center-right.
The centrist alliance with the Republicans (Les Républicains) retained control of the upper house, although it lost seats.
According to the first data shared by Le Monde newspaper, the number of seats of the Republicans decreased from 134 to 128, while their allies increased to 74 seats.
The left bloc reduced the number of seats from 78 to 74. The center wing retained its 24 seats in 2023.
Unlike the National Assembly, which is the lower house of the parliament and is elected directly by popular vote, Senate elections are conducted by a board of electors formed by locally elected people.
Ballots were held on Sunday for 178 seats in 64 provinces and representatives abroad for the upper house of 348 seats, half of which are renewed every three years.
Since the approximately 172,600-person selection committee that determines the senators consists entirely of local administrators, French experts point out that this picture reflects the general public trend only to a limited extent.
