France's judo champion turned presidential candidate Teddy Riner sought to distance himself from President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, calling the head of state's rare endorsement a poisoned chalice. The centrist president had said on Monday that Riner joining the race could only benefit the country after the hugely popular judoka announced he was running.
Riner, a 37-year-old five-time Olympic gold medallist, stated during a visit to a trade fair of products made in France that he was not the president's envoy. He added that if he had to describe the president's congratulations, it would be more like a poisoned chalice. Riner announced his candidacy on Monday, saying he feared France could soon become deeply divided and appearing to cast himself as a candidate for voters unwilling to choose between the far right and the hard left. Although he has said he is neither from the left nor the right, some have accused him of seeking to follow in Macron's footsteps.
Macron's popularity is at its lowest level since he first became president in 2017, according to recent polls, as nationwide protests rock the country. Opinion polls project far-right candidate Marine Le Pen as winning the first round of next year's vote, with hard-left hopeful Jean-Luc Melenchon qualifying to face off against her in a second round. Meanwhile, the centre-right has struggled to produce a single candidate with a decent shot at the top job, with former prime minister Edouard Philippe having slipped from second to third place in surveys in recent months.
Source: The Local. Read the original report ↗