French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that the right-wing politician Marine Le Pen has the potential to win the 2027 presidential election if the current administration continues to face current “challenges”. The Macron administration is currently facing “challenges” in the form of the ongoing nationwide protest over the controversial pension reforms which got passed as a law recently. Meanwhile, amid the rising protest, Marine and the popularity of her right-wing party National Rally Party has increased at an exponential rate. 

On April 23, the French President spoke to the French news outlet Le Parisien and during the interview, he talked about the current turmoil that has engulfed the country. “Marine Le Pen will arrive (in power) if we are unable to respond to the challenges of the country and if we introduce a habit of lying or denying reality,” the French president warned. Macron pinpointed the “populist” nature of Le Pen when he gave out his assertion. He told the news outlet that Le Pen is “good at making promises”, which the centrist parties lack. Macron insisted in the next election the French centrist parties should work and win back the votes of the people of France. 

Macron defends his highly divisive reforms

According to the French news outlet, the French President defended his controversial pension reform. The reform increases the French retirement age from 62 to 64, which has created a major uproar in the country. Macron reiterated that the only mistake was the over-advertising of the unpopular pension reform. “Perhaps the mistake was not being sufficiently present to give substance to the reform and carry it myself,” Macron told Le Parisien. Meanwhile, the right-wing politician and the daughter of the veteran French politician, Jean-Marie Le Pen lost the presidential election thrice in the past. Out of the three times, Marine has lost twice to French President Macron. Amid the nationwide protest, Le Pen has accused the French President of creating a “total rupture” between the people of France and its presidency due to the reforms. “He can no longer leave the Elysée [presidential palace] without arousing the ire of a people he refuses to listen to and whose will he refuses to respect,” she told the local reporters earlier this year.