By qualifying once again for the second round of the presidential election and further increasing her score with 23.4% of the votes cast, Marine Le Pen has come a long way. Competition from Eric Zemmour (7%) does not seem to have overshadowed him and according to those close to him, victory is more achievable than five years ago. Jean-Paul Garraud, candidate of the National Rally in the regional election in Occitanie in 2021, and future Minister of Justice of Marine Le Pen, if elected, speaks on France Bleu Occitanie. This LR defector joined the President of the RN after the defeat of François Fillon and he explains that the project is much more worked.
France Bleu Occitanie: Jean-Paul Garraud, Marine Le Pen is doing better than five years ago when there is another far-right candidate. How do you explain it?
Jean-Paul Garraud: Listen first, it is of course a great satisfaction since in reality, what is happening today is the result of a whole campaign as close as possible to people, naturally as close as possible to their concerns. This is the sequel. And at the same time, she is a candidate who has revealed herself, I think, in the eyes of our fellow citizens because unfortunately, I would say that many of them did not know her. You know her through a very caricatural image that had been made of her. However, they saw that it was a person, obviously, who had the skills, who had this love of France and who obviously offered, in all areas, a really very credible alternation to Emmanuel Macron. He himself, moreover, remained almost silent during this campaign. He didn’t campaign. He’s going to have to explain himself. He thought things would be simple. This is not the case at all now. The French have indeed found a credible alternative to Emmanuel Macron. And so anything is possible.
FBO: Even when the other candidates, with the exception of Éric Zemmour, are all calling to vote for Macron?
JPG: Listen, at least the masks come off for voters. Excuse me, but they don’t care about voters, slogans and stuff like that, the party. The voting instructions have absolutely nothing to do. There are people who can’t take it anymore, so Mr. Macron’s policy. And that is why we have a country that is in a lamentable situation. The image of France in the world is also very degraded. So now they have the opportunity to have this real alternation. What I can assure you is that we are very, very, very determined.
FBO: Let’s go back five years. There had been this same duel and this failure of the debate between two rounds. I say failure because Marine Le Pen herself admits that she missed it. Is there the secret of the success of your second round?
JPG: Five years ago, we were faced with a young man who was accused of having great qualities. A true Mozart of finance, a true prodigy who promised us mountains and wonders. In what she said five years ago, Marine Le Pen was not mistaken. Yes, we have only to look again if we wish. Afterwards, of course, she made mistakes, certainly in the debate too. But basically, what she was saying was not wrong. Look at the balance sheet, the result of these five years…
FBO: Why believe in it more today than five years ago?
JPG: Because everything changed at once. Of course, we have a very elaborate program in areas that are of primary interest to our fellow citizens. But above all, we have just passed five years with France, which finds itself in this situation that we know, which is plagued by very, very clear difficulties in economic, financial and social terms. Of course, in the field of security, in all fields. So we really are at a historic moment. I quite frankly think so. And me, what I want is that all those I know, who love France, and who do not come from the right, moreover, join us. I naturally address the Republicans, I address the former elected UMP or even RPR who are orphans. But all that, I knew where it was going, where it was going to lead us.
FBO: But if there is a real reserve of votes for the second round, it is France insubordinate, isn’t it?
JPG: But you know, I would say that a voter of insubordinate France or of Mr. Mélenchon is more voters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon than insubordinate France. Because Jean-Luc Mélenchon has performed. We know well what his oratorical qualities are.
FBO: Can they vote for Marine Le Pen, these LFI voters?
JPG: Yes I think so. One thing is certain, it is that they will not vote for Mr. Macron, I am sure. Nothing is mathematical, arithmetic. People are free to do what they want, but we will have a real debate. We will have a real stake between two. Effectively between two very, very opposite conceptions. And if you want, of course, all this is explained and all this is encrypted. And you know, I don’t know what arguments will be used against us, but in any case, we are ready to answer them because we worked a lot at the same time and we have a really good team.