Are Marine Le Pens chances of becoming French president being exaggerated?
The French far right of Marine Le Pen failed to win any region while the centrist ruling party of President Emmanuel Macron suffered another poll drubbing in the second round of regional elections Sunday, again marked by a woeful turnout. In a confirmation of trends set in the June 20 first round, partial results showed the National Rally (RN) of Le Pen was thwarted in its main ambition of winning the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur (PACA) region that includes Marseille and Nice. Macron's ruling party could not even break into double figures nationwide let alone win any region, in a jolt as the president begins to turn his sights on re-election in 2022. Victory in the Mediterranean region would have given Le Pen control of one of France's 13 mainland regions for the first time and added impetus to her challenge to Macron in the presidential elections.