President Emmanuel Macron confronted Marin Le Pen, his far-right rival, in a televised debate on Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s key runoff. The media agreed that Macron largely dominated the stock markets. Viewers interviewed by sociologists agreed that Macron was more convincing, more dynamic and more sincere.
However, after the debate, Libération announced on the front page that Le Pen was “still not up to standard”. It was an astonishing headline in a center-left newspaper. Does this mean that if Le Pen had better public speaking skills and a better understanding of political details, she would be worthy of becoming president? Meanwhile, most comments on the debate failed to point out that Le Pen is a far-right candidate who has extreme views on Putin’s immigration, Islam, civil liberties, the EU and Russia. This shows that the normalization of Le Pen’s extreme right-wing movement is at an advanced stage.
While debating with Le Pen, Macron further “demonized” the leader of the National Assembly, focusing on the details of the policy. During the three-hour debate, Macron sounded nerdy and technocratic. He tried to demonstrate to French voters that he had the best policy.
Not once has the incumbent president called his opponent a “far-right” politician; nor did it mention that some of its policies are a threat to democracy; nor did he stress that if Le Pen were elected president, France’s position in the world would be tarnished. However, her program attacks fundamental civil liberties: she vows to ban the hijab in public places, restrict the rights of asylum seekers, stop granting French citizenship to young people born in France to foreign parents, and discriminate against foreigners by distributing social benefits. aid provisions only for French citizens.
Macron’s performance lacked vision and a sense of historical inertia. During the debate, his task was to engage emotionally with reluctant voters – especially left-wing voters. By adopting technocratic and professorial rhetoric, Macron depoliticized the debate. He sounded competent, but he lacked empathy; Le Pen, meanwhile, proved much more sympathetic, despite his firm views.
This is the heart of the matter. Critics of Macron say his right-wing policies and his removed, Jupiter-style rule are partly to blame for the rise of the far right. He freed members of government who used far-right rhetoric and supported the adoption of repressive policies on Islam, immigration and law and order.
According to the latest opinion polls, Macron is about to be re-elected by a significantly reduced majority. He can’t afford to be complacent, but he doesn’t seem to pay attention to the danger he’s in. To win, he must secure the support of a large part of the 7.7 million who voted for the candidate from the radical left, Jean-Luc Melanchon. Most of these voters hate Macron’s policies and most of them are disgusted with his personality. The latest figures show that 42% can vote for him, but 25% can vote for Le Pen and 33% can abstain. According to some Melenchon voters, it is a “choice between plague and cholera.”
Macron’s astonishing reshaping of party politics led to the disintegration of the two dominant parties in French politics: the center-left Socialist Party and the center-right Republican Party. Three blocs have now emerged: the liberal-conservative around Macron, the far right, led by Le Pen, and the divided and weakened left, led by Melenchon. The leader of France Insoumise radicalized part of the left electorate. For some melenchonists, Macron is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than Le Pen. In some neighborhoods on the radical left, Macron has been denounced as a “dictator” for enforcing a immunity pandemic during the pandemic. This kind of political confusion is a recipe for disaster in the ballot box.
There is a lot of emotional demand on social media right now: should one abstain or vote against Le Pen? An increasing number of left-wing voters appear to be pinching their noses and voting for Macron on Sunday, especially those who would have a lot to lose from Le Pen’s presidency: the young, racial and poor middle classes, the core of the Melanchon electorate.
This reluctant push may be enough for Macron to cross the finish line, but a political system that blackmails the majority of its citizens to vote against their interests is brutal and unhealthy. Once re-elected, Macron should expect a backlash.
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