Can Macron escape a debate?

Audio 02:56

President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace in Paris, January 22, 2022. Geoffroy van der Hasselt Pool/AFP/Archivos

By: Valérie Gas Follow

2 mins

All opponents of Emmanuel Macron have only one idea in mind, to push him to participate in a debate before the first round of the presidential election scheduled for April 10.

A risky exercise for the outgoing president.

Emmanuel Macron will he be able to escape it?

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What is certain is that Emmanuel Macron's opponents are increasing the pressure.

Valérie Pécresse did not go there with the back of the spoon to criticize a potential refusal of the outgoing president to participate in a debate before the first round, speaking of cowardice, of contempt.

And she's not the only one.

In her position as the main opponent of the Head of State, Marine Le Pen even declared that she would not participate in any debate in the absence of Emmanuel Macron.

A way of trying to corner the president and at the same time to place himself at the same level as him.

What response from the president?

For the moment, Emmanuel Macron does not respond.

And for good reason, he is not yet an official candidate.

But government spokesman Gabriel Attal took it upon himself to calm things down by saying he was " 

" about 

 " of such an exercise.

And among those close to the president, some are totally opposed to a first-round debate with all the candidates in the running and speak of it as a trap.

A senator believes that Emmanuel Macron has no interest in participating in a debate with " 

 ".

Proof that it's a bad idea, he adds,

 ".

Nicolas Sarkozy had indeed refused this exercise in 2012 and had only faced François Hollande between the two rounds, a sledgehammer argument in the form of protective jurisprudence for Emmanuel Macron.

Is it so easy to say no?

Nothing is less sure. Moreover, a minister is convinced of this: " 

 it", that would provoke too much criticism. A recent poll has indeed shown that a majority of French people would find 

 a refusal from the outgoing president "

". And then Emmanuel Macron is rather good in debate. In 2017, in the in-between rounds against Marine Le Pen, he showed it. He likes confrontation, jousting, combat. He may be tempted to face his adversaries face to face. In what framework? That's the question: finding the right format. A relative has fun with a hint of arrogance: “

 ".

Yes, but the big ones?

That's another matter.

For Emmanuel Macron, we will have to choose between refusing the obstacle or running the risk of taking blows.

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• Presidential France 2022

• Emmanuel Macron

• Valerie Pécresse

• Marine Le Pen