Three days before the first round of early legislative elections, representatives of the three blocs that dominate the polls have clashed over issues of society, purchasing power and security.
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One last debate to convince. Three days before the first round of the early legislative elections, the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, the president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, and the boss of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, met in the program “L’Evénement” on France 2, Thursday June 27, for a new verbal joust. Two days after the first televised debate organized on TF1, representatives of the three main political forces of the moment were able to detail their programs, discussing in particular purchasing power, immigration, women’s rights and security.
Jordan Bardella already imagines himself at Matignon and details his future government
In the first minutes of the debate, Jordan Bardella sought to appear as a unifier. “I intend to be the Prime Minister of all French people”he said. In the event of victory in the legislative elections, the RN president promised a “national unity government”before detailing what he meant behind this formula: “I hope that, in this government, all the energies and all the skills that are expressed in the country can sit and participate in the recovery of the country. (…) There will be familiar faces from the National Rally, but also familiar faces from the Republicans (…) and people who come from civil society.” But he did not give any names, apart from that of the contested president of the Republicans, Eric Ciotti, without specifying the position he would occupy.
Gabriel Attal denounces “racist, anti-Semitic or homophobic remarks” by several RN candidates
Under the disapproving gaze of Jordan Bardella, Gabriel Attal rattled off a list of names of candidates invested by the RN for these legislative elections “for which we found racist, anti-Semitic or homophobic remarks”. The Prime Minister mentioned more than one “hundred candidates” concerned, giving several examples: “I can quote you Mr. Bourdouleix, who indicated that I quote ‘Hitler did not kill enough Gypsies’. I can quote you Madame Barèges who explained that a black candidate on her list is ‘a stain’. Madame Sorin which explains that ‘All civilizations are not equal’ (…) We must be uncompromising with all hate speech.” The president of the RN rejected these accusations: “If the National Rally did not exist, Mr. Attal would have lost his reason for doing politics. These comments are false, absolutely false.”
Jordan Bardella promises to respect the Constitution, in matters of defense, in the event of cohabitation
“The Constitution, the whole Constitution, nothing but the Constitution”, promised Jordan Bardella. Asked about Marine Le Pen’s comments, who considered that the title of “Army chief” of the President of the Republic is “honorary”the president of the RN detailed his vision of his prerogatives in terms of defense if he won the legislative elections. “The president is the head of the armies, but the Prime Minister determines, for example, the operating budget of the armies”he said, promising to “continue the rearmament effort” hired by the government.
A confrontation on the issue of the war in Ukraine
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Jordan Bardella discusses the RN’s position on the war in Ukraine
Jordan Bardella discusses the RN’s position on the war in Ukraine.
(FTV)
The candidates then clashed over the Ukrainian issue. “I will not let Russian imperialism absorb an allied state like Ukraine”assured Jordan Bardella, while promising not to send any “French soldier on Ukrainian soil”. He was then attacked by Gabriel Attal: “Mr Bardella said that if he were to become Prime Minister, he would seek to partially disarm the Ukrainians since he indicated that, for long-range missiles (…), he would withdraw these weapons that they themselves requested.”
Olivier Faure tries to reassure on the promise of an increase in the minimum wage to 1,600 euros
Questioned by a baker who testified to the stagnation of his salary, the head of the PS Olivier Faure defended the increase in the minimum wage to 1,600 euros, promised by the New Popular Front programme. “For too many years, we have been told that nothing is possiblehe lamented. In Spain, they increased the minimum wage by 47%, they are proposing to increase it by 14%. Today, living on the minimum wage is impossible (…), barely 240 euros above the poverty line.” Questioned by Jordan Bardella on the weight of salary increases for small and medium-sized businesses, the socialist sought to reassure. “We will concentrate aid [aux entreprises] on those who need it”he promised, also praising the effect of this increased minimum wage on companies’ turnover, “pbecause artisans, VSEs and SMEs know it well: today, what they are missing is popular consumption.”
Olivier Faure tries to explain the position of the left on nuclear power
Olivier Faure was questioned by his opponents on the nuclear issue. “You will notice that Mr. Attal and Bardella are permanently on the program of this New Popular Front. Why? Because we are the only ones to propose a change of direction.”he first said ironically. The socialist assured that nuclear power was a “transition energy”and that existing power plants would not close “until we have the capacity” to replace their production with that of renewable energy sources. “No one on the left is proposing to close a nuclear power plant”he assured. “We were on another set with Mr. Bompard [mardi sur TF1], and he assured us exactly the opposite”retorted Gabriel Attal.
On immigration, tense exchange between Jordan Bardella and Olivier Faure
Olivier Faure attacked Jordan Bardella on the RN’s anti-immigration program, in particular the measures targeting dual-national French people. “Today, not only do you separate the French from the foreigners, (…) but now, you even separate the French”launched the socialist. “Stop, you are not credible”the president of the RN was annoyed. Olivier Faure recalled that Germany “went the opposite way” and relaxed the conditions for obtaining nationality.”Not only are you creating second-class French people, but with the abolition of land law, you are going back centuries of French history.”accused the representative of the New Popular Front.