Towards the second round, the strong points of Macron and Le Pen during “Le Débat”
According to a first pollMacron won last night’s TV duel against Marine Le Pen: the incumbent president was deemed more credible than the right-wing challenger by the 59% of the Frenchcalled next Sunday, April 24, al presidential ballot. A lot of followers from beyond the Alps: they were about 15.6 million viewers a follow him; however, a number lower than one million, compared to that recorded five years ago, in the debate and presidential election of 2017 which also in that case saw Macron Le Pen opposing. This year, in addition to TF1 and France2 – who organized the live broadcast – the confrontation lasting about two and a half hours was broadcast by all news networks and parliamentary channels.
There Le Pen the words “immigration” and “Islam” were pronounced, themes that have been at the center of the vaults of her party for decades, the National Rassemblement. She has indeed appeared moderate And reliable; across the table Macronfigures in hand, it seemed more qualified And owner of the various files debated. Le Pen instead focused onempathy, rather than on technique, presenting herself as “the president of harmony, justice, national fraternity, civil peace”, therefore no longer as an anti-system. The most convincing thrust of the incumbent president comes when it comes to international politics, and Macron points out the opponent not to be autonomous in her choice because “It depends on Moscow”having a debt contract of 9.7 million euros in a Czech-Russian bank, close to the Kremlin.
The clash on theEurope, with Marine Le Pen reiterating her party’s position: “There is no European people, there is no European sovereignty”. “You don’t say it – Macron pressed – but you want to get away from France from the European Union“. A heated clash also on ecology, with Macron defining the opponent “climate-skeptic” and Le Pen who retorted “she is climate-hypocriteThe allusion was to wind turbines at sea, which Le Pen accused Macron of wanting “anywhere” except in Le Touquet, where the president has a vacation home.
School And salaries of teachers, hospitals And discomfort of health care personnel they were themes on which the candidates’ visions appeared very distant, at times opposite. And about safety and the prohibition of islamic veil it was yet another clash, with the far-right candidate reiterating her intention to forbid it in public places. Macron accused her of making “confusion” between religion and ideology, warning her that her proposal would risk killing “a civil war“.
Macron falls on the style, a little know-it-all. She smiled wryly several times during Le Pen’s speeches, interrupting it with constancy, to the point of being reproached by the conductors. “Ne me coupez pas”, don’t interrupt me, becomes Marine Le Pen’s mantra.