In this Monday, July 20, 2020 file photo, French President Emmanuel Macron speaks on his mobile phone during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels. French newspaper Le Monde is reporting that the cellphones of French President Emmanuel Macron and 15 members of the French government in 2019 may have been among potential targets of surveillance by spyware made by the Israel-based NSO Group. AP FILE PHOTOPARIS: President Emmanuel Macron remains the favorite to win France's next election but six months before the polls he faces the uncomfortable situation of not knowing the identity of his main challenger. Frederic Dabi of opinion pollster Ifop said Le Pen had been "relatively weakened" by the emergence of Zemmour. He said that with such a fragmented offer, the price of a ticket into the second round "falls automatically," recalling how Marine Le Pen's father Jean-Marie shocked the political mainstream by slipping into the second round in 2002 with just 16.8 percent of the vote.

Source: Manila Times October 11, 2021 16:07 UTC