Valérie Hayer and Jordan Bardella argue about Ukraine, immigration and security during a first debate

The debate was tense Thursday evening on BFMTV. Valérie Hayer was undergoing a sort of test for this first major confrontation in the run-up to the June 9 election.

The campaign for the European elections is accelerating. Jordan Bardella, head of the National Rally list, and Valérie Hayer, head of the Renaissance list, debated for almost two hours, Thursday May 2, on BFMTV, for a first face-to-face meeting.

“You have a thousand facets Mr. Bardella, but in the end, only one face: that of an imposter”attacked Valérie Hayer, who acts as challenger, with only 17% of voting intentions, and in her rearview mirror the socialist candidate Raphaël Glucksmann (14%).

Jordan Bardella ironically greeted the “courage” of his opponent for having “candidate when no one wanted to wear the colors of Emmanuel Macron in these European elections”.

Lively discussions on Ukraine

Jordan Bardella accused Valérie Hayer of “to play” with the war in Ukraine. The president of the RN, who is leading the polls with more than 30% of voting intentions, criticized the head of the Renaissance list for having gone to Ukraine at the end of March to “have your photo taken” and then distribute the photos on social networks.

The Renaissance candidate, who needs to fill a notoriety gap, responded by assuring that “the interest of the French and Europeans is not for Russia to win this war”reiterating the accusation against the RN of being the “Kremlin transmission belt”.

Faced with these attacks, Jordan Bardella pointed out the financing of the Renaissance campaign by a “European political party called ALDE [Alliance des démocrates et des libéraux pour l’Europe]“ and which, he accused, would be financed by large American groups like “Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook”. In 2019, ALDE renounced corporate funding in the wake of previous European elections and similar accusations from the far right.

Hayer recalls the “right to protection” of asylum seekers

The head of the Macronist list attacked his rival on his “duplicity”. Attacking her absenteeism in the European Parliament since her election five years ago, she estimated that the head of the RN list “says what he does not vote for and does not vote for what he says”.

The two candidates also clashed over security issues, returning in particular to the death of young Matisse, killed on April 27 in Châteauroux (Indre) by a 15-year-old minor. Valérie Hayer denounced “indignity” of the RN which “systematically exploits dramas to make political profit”.

Jordan Bardella, for his part, estimated that “Immigration has become the worst fuel for street violence and insecurity in our country”. “I feel like there’s an elephant in the living room and you’re the only one who doesn’t see it.”he continued.

“Yes, there is a problem of irregular immigrationrecognized Valérie Hayer. But there are asylum seekers who are entitled to protection. These are our European values.”she said, denouncing “the simplistic solutions of the populists”.

Campaign without dynamics

On the occupation of universities by students mobilized for Gaza, the two candidates agreed on their desire not to import the struggles of American universities into France and to fight against anti-Semitism.

Combative throughout this prime-time contest, Valérie Hayer was passing a sort of test for this first major confrontation in the run-up to the European elections on June 9. His opponent, better known and experienced in the exercise, for his part hopes for an upcoming confrontation, on a date not yet fixed, with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. The presidential camp was also counting on this face-to-face meeting to relaunch a sluggish and lackluster campaign, including in the President of the Republic’s own electorate.