EDITORIAL. Gabriel Attal should soon face Jordan Bardella

The Prime Minister should soon debate with the president of the National Rally. Jordan Bardella was the applicant and Gabriel Attal made it known through those around him that he “would not shirk”.

We still do not know the date and modalities of the upcoming Gabriel Attal-Jordan Bardella duel, but it will certainly be one of the highlights of the European election campaign. It must be said that the Prime Minister no longer had a choice. He could no longer escape this confrontation.

Firstly because the majority’s list is in the process of being unscrewed. Week after week, poll after poll, Valérie Hayer continues to go backwards. Here she is followed by Raphaël Glucksmann. There is only a point and a half difference – the margin of error – between the two, 16% of voting intentions compared to 14.5% in the latest survey by the Ifop institute. And in view of the opposite dynamics, the crossing of the curves appears more probable every day. And meanwhile Jordan Bardella is in the lead and widens the gap to around 32% of voting intentions.

Gabriel Attal expected on the front line

The majority therefore launched the operation “we must save soldier Hayer”, with the mobilization of the main ministers, gathered Tuesday evening at the campaign HQ and ordered to wet their jerseys to support the candidate by multiplying the public meetings. And first of all, the first of them, Gabriel Attal. Especially since his discretion was starting to raise eyebrows among the majority and even at the Élysée. Some suspected the head of government of wanting to preserve his very good popularity rating by staying in the background. Gabriel Attal is therefore forced to move to the front line.

Is this a big political risk? Yes and no. Gabriel Attal convinced himself that a heavy failure by Valérie Hayer would be blamed on him anyway. Let us recall that traditionally, under the Fifth Republic, the head of government is considered, in fact, as the leader of the majority. And then given his lead, it’s Jordan Bardella who could lose a few feathers. So far, the far-right candidate has led a stealth campaign, avoiding televised debates and taking minimal risks. The Prime Minister is keen to reveal the “lies” of the RN program on Europe. Remember that when he was appointed to Matignon, many in the majority set up Gabriel Attal as an anti-Bardella weapon. In view of the polls of voting intentions, it rather resembles, for the moment, a cork gun.