French Presidential | The Macron-Le Pen confrontation

(Paris) Four days before the second round, the two candidates for the presidential election in France clashed on Wednesday evening in a rather lively debate of ideas, marked by sometimes virulent exchanges, but courteous on the whole.

Jean-Christophe Laurence
The Press

It was the second time in five years that the two candidates faced each other in this televised exercise, considered a highlight of the presidential campaign in France. But unlike 2017, when Macron had clearly won over an aggressive and visibly ill-prepared rival, the leader of the National Rally did less badly.

Resolutely calm, Marine Le Pen showed a better mastery of the files, even if we felt that she was less up to speed and more approximate than her opponent on certain subjects.

Emmanuel Macron has shown himself to be more intellectually agile, but sometimes casual in his physical posture and bordering on condescension in his replies, an attitude which could reinforce his image as an arrogant president.

It is clear, however, that two visions of France were opposed on the screen.

On the one hand, the candidate for sovereignty, security, borders, “everyday life” and “unhappy” France. On the other, the candidate of the European Union, of globalisation, of ecology, of France who succeeds.

After exchanging a quick handshake and a brief smile as they arrived on set, the centrist president and the far-right candidate quickly launched the first hostilities, M^me Le Pen attacking Emmanuel Macron’s record, which she considers bad, the latter accusing his rival of proposing a program that has “neither head nor tail”. Reviews that will set the tone for a debate of almost three hours.

The outgoing president put his opponent on the defensive on several occasions, accusing him early in the evening of “depending on Russian power” and “on Mr. Putin”, referring to a loan of 9 million euros contracted in 2017 by the far-right party of M^me Le Pen with a Russian bank.

“It’s false and it’s quite dishonest,” retorted her rival, saying that no French bank had granted her a loan at the time and that she had “no other dependence than repaying his loan.

“I am an absolutely and totally free woman,” she said.

Europe, pensions, purchasing power, environment, climate, security, sailing: other subjects paraded, accusations too.

Emmanuel Macron criticized Marine Le Pen for not being clear about her Eurosceptic aims. “Your plan is to leave the EU. You lie about the merchandise,” he said.

On purchasing power, the number one concern of the French according to the polls, the two candidates clung to their respective proposals for incentives to increase salaries and bonuses.

They also disagreed on the methods to protect purchasing power, particularly on energy, Emmanuel Macron defending the “tariff shield” (cap) already in place and his “food voucher” project, Marine Le Pen advocating a reduction in VAT.

The two adversaries have also spread their differences on ecology, M^me Le Pen accusing Mr. Macron of being a “climatohypocrite”, while she was called a “climatosceptic”.

During a more muscular exchange, Marine Le Pen joked about the fact that her opponent wanted to put wind turbines at sea “everywhere, on all the coasts, except in front of Le Touquet”, the seaside resort of Pas-de-Calais where the Macron couple has a second home. “Madame Le Pen… Are you kidding? “Reacted Emmanuel Macron with an outraged air.

On safety, Mr.^me Le Pen spoke of “a real barbarism”, in particular because of “anarchic and massive immigration”, to which Emmanuel Macron replied that the French did not want “postures”.

The tone rose during an exchange on the veil, that M^me Le Pen wants to “prohibit in the public space”. It would be “a betrayal of the French spirit and of what the Republic is”, replied Mr. Macron.

The exchanges were pugnacious, dense, but we will not have learned anything new in the end on the program of one and the other. The polls will say on Thursday if the debate will move voting intentions, especially in the left-wing electorate, which is still hesitating between Macron and the blank vote.

But it is likely that most voters have already made their choice, which this exercise will only confirm.

The rest on Sunday, at the polls.