Choice time. The first round of the presidential election, for which 48.7 million citizens registered on the electoral lists are called to vote, takes place on Sunday 10 April. Twelve suitors present themselves to the vote of the French, with as many political projects.
>> Follow the last day of the electoral campaign live before the first round of the presidential election
Since the start of the election campaign, franceinfo journalists have published numerous thematic articles to shed light on the candidates’ positions on social issues. We suggest you find them before going to vote.
On purchasing power
The main concern of the French, the question of purchasing power occupied a central place during the presidential campaign. The candidates on the right are mostly counting on an increase in the lowest salaries thanks to a reduction in social security contributions. On the left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon is betting on blocking the prices of basic necessities and Anne Hidalgo wants to give workers on digital platforms (such as home meal deliverers) the same rights as employees.
>> Presidential 2022: what are the candidates proposing to improve purchasing power?
On the climate
The term of the president elected in April will end in 2027, three years before 2030, by which time France must have reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% to comply with the Paris climate agreement. But not all the candidates place the same value on the fight against global warming: according to an analysis carried out by the editorial staff of franceinfo.fr in partnership with the association Les Shifters, the programs of Yannick Jadot and Jean- Luc Mélenchon are closest to the objectives set by this agreement. Those of Marine Le Pen and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan are the furthest from it (if we do not take into account the projects of Jean Lassalle and Nathalie Arthaud, who are not very talkative on the issue).
>> Climate crisis: we examined the programs of the presidential candidates to see if they respect the Paris agreement
On pensions
Three camps stand out: those who want to push back the legal retirement age, those who want to keep it at 62 and those who are campaigning for retirement at 60. In the first group, we find Emmanuel Macron and his retirement project at age 65 by 2032, Valérie Pécresse but also Eric Zemmour. Anne Hidalgo, Yannick Jadot, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and Jean Lassalle make up the second group. Among the supporters of retirement at 60, we find, unsurprisingly, the left-wing candidates Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Fabien Roussel, Philippe Poutou and Nathalie Arthaud… and also Marine Le Pen, but only for French people who have entered working life. before the age of 20.
>> Presidential 2022: what do the twelve candidates propose to reform the pension system?
On the end of life
Unlike other subjects, the question of the end of life is part of a traditional political divide. On the left, the six candidates are in favor of a new law establishing assisted suicide. On the right, on the other hand, we are calling for better application of existing texts, such as the Leonetti law. Note that Jean Lassalle and Emmanuel Macron prefer to rely on a public debate on the subject.
>> Assisted suicide, euthanasia, deep sedation… What the candidates for the presidential election are proposing on the theme of the end of life
On farming
From short circuits to the withdrawal of free trade agreements, via the total abolition of pesticides, the contenders for the Elysée Palace are teeming with ideas to lend a hand to an agriculture hit by soaring production costs and raw materials. agriculture caused by the war in Ukraine.
>> Food, rurality, pesticides… What do the presidential candidates propose for agriculture?
On the nuclear
Bet everything on it? Reduce its share in the energy mix? Or get out of it gradually? The nuclear debate was lively during the presidential campaign. Yannick Jadot and Jean-Luc Mélenchon want an exit within 20 to 25 years. After having programmed the gradual closure of twelve aging reactors, Emmanuel Macron intends to reinvest in the sector, with the objective of a nuclear share reduced to 50% of the energy mix by 2035, against some 70% currently. Valérie Pécresse wants to launch six new EPRs, just like Marine Le Pen, who also wants to reopen the Fessenheim plant.
>> Presidential 2022: what the candidates offer on nuclear power and the future of French power plants
On the inheritance
A major source of inequality, inheritance has made its way into the countryside. On the right, we defend, like Valérie Pécresse, an increase in the ceiling for exemption from inheritance tax, currently set at 100,000 euros for a parent bequeathing to a child, and a reduction in taxation on living donations, for “release” transmission between generations. On the left, we sometimes advocate, like Anne Hidalgo and Yannick Jadot, an increase in these ceilings, but also a greater progressiveness of the tax, in particular by taxing large estates more, like Jean-Luc Mélenchon who wants “take it all” above 12 million euros.
>> Inheritance and gift taxes: what are the presidential candidates proposing in terms of inheritance?
About health
The Covid-19 crisis has propelled the subject of health to the fore. On the left, Anne Hidalgo plans massive recruitment in the sector to “turning the page on the hospital-company”. Fabien Roussel and Jean-Luc Mélenchon intend to fight against medical deserts by proposing to guarantee the presence of essential health services less than 30 minutes from each French person. Eric Zemmour wants state salaried doctors to be hired urgently, while Emmanuel Macron wants to develop teleconsultation or set up occasional medical services in the least endowed territories.
>> Salaries, medical deserts, bed closures… What are the candidates’ remedies for the health sector?
About institutions
As in the elections of 2012 and 2017, Jean-Luc Mélenchon proposes the establishment of a Constituent Assembly to establish a Sixth Republic. In the event of re-election, Emmanuel Macron will propose “a cross-party commission to renovate our institutions”. Yannick Jadot pleads for the establishment of a non-renewable seven-year term for the President of the Republic, Marine Le Pen for proportional representation during the legislative elections. Eric Zemmour wishes for his part a more frequent use of the referendum.
>> Proportional, term of office, Sixth Republic… What are the presidential candidates proposing to reform the institutions?
On democratic life
To respond to the increase in abstention during the last elections, the contenders for the Elysee Palace promise to better include citizens in decision-making. Jean Lassalle, Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan all propose the creation of a citizens’ initiative referendum (RIC) whose methods of execution vary. Like the citizens’ convention on the climate, Emmanuel Macron wants to experiment with the creation of an assembly of 150 citizens of the French population, drawn by lot, for social issues such as the end of life.
>> Referendum, citizens’ convention, RIC… What are the presidential candidates proposing to reform democratic life?