International press review
Headlines: the press is concerned about the "tight" duel Macron-le Pen in the second round of the presidential election
Audio 05:03
Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen will face each other on April 24 in the second round of the French presidential election.
© AFP
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
4 mins
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The international press is unanimous, it is a "
tight
" and "
uncertain
" duel which will again oppose the 2 finalists of the French presidential election, a new "
face to face Macron-Le Pen
", which "
has nothing to do with the one from 5 years ago
,” warns the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
.
"
France is engaged in a brutal 2-week battle to decide its future
", also comments the
Guardian
which considers "
that Macron has positioned himself as a pro-European progressive to try to counter what he calls Marine Le Pen's "racist, nationalist agenda" by also denouncing her complacency with Russian President Putin
".
Even if he "
improved his 2017 score
", with nearly 28% of the vote, underlines the
Times
, "
the French election remains wide open
", while Marine Le Pen campaigned "
on the crisis of power in France".
'purchasing and inflation
', 2 subjects, the British daily tells us, '
which have become the main concerns of voters
'.
The press points to the outgoing president's "non-campaign"
Macron "
took victory for granted and focused on Ukraine
", underlines
La Repubblica
and "
his proposal to raise the retirement age to 65 and the McKinsey scandal of private consulting firms made him lose consensus
", analyzes the Italian daily which, like
El Pais
, notes that Marine Le Pen has succeeded in " de-
demonizing it
", "
far from the xenophobic and aggressive rhetoric of the historic far right
", comments the Spanish newspaper.
"
She displays a benevolence capable of capturing the vote of discontent against a president that part of the population considers elitist and arrogant
".
"
The debate between the 2 rounds
" could be decisive, further underlines the
Guardian,
which like much of the European press warns against "
a victory for the far right
" which "would
destabilize Europe
".
Concern shared by the
Washington Post
, which fears "
a global shock
" in the event of Le Pen's victory.
“
The result of the French vote will be decisive for the future of the entire European Union
”, also warns the FAZ, the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
, for which “
Macron will have to fight now
”.
General Dvornikov, "the butcher of Syria", who fears the worst in Ukraine
As Russia prepares to launch a major offensive in the east of the country, Moscow has just appointed “
General Alexander Dvornikov
” to take command of military operations in Ukraine.
A nomination commented on with the greatest concern in the whole of the world press, while this general nicknamed the "
butcher of Syria
" - underlines
The Independent
, "
is the organizer of some 10,000 bombings which have razed in particular the cities of 'Aleppo and Homs in 2015, and destroyed hospitals and water sources
".
Dvornikov, 60, "
is a nationalist of blood and soil
", underlines for his part the
Guardian:
"
he sees the annihilation of civilian targets as a means of gaining ground on the battlefield
".
He has also "
already fought brutally in Chechnya and the Donbass
", underlines for its part the
Washington Post
which reports "
the extreme concern of the White House
" which fears that this appointment "
inaugurates a new series of crimes and brutalities against civilians
”.
According to
The Independent,
“
Dvornikov is believed to be behind the bombing that killed at least 52 people at Kramatorsk station last Friday
.
Austrian Chancellor Nehammer meets Putin in the Kremlin
He will be “
the first European leader to meet in person with President Putin since the start of the war
,” noted the
New York Times
after meeting President Zelensky in Kiev last Saturday.
While the efforts of the Europeans seem to have had in recent weeks “
little effect on Vladimir Putin
”, underlines the American daily.
This visit "
by a European head of state, but who does not belong to NATO
" nevertheless aims "
to open a dialogue between the two Russian and Ukrainian parties
", explains
El Pais for his part.
Without having too many illusions - the Spanish daily still recognizes, Chancellor Nehammer will be the spokesperson for Europeans in the Kremlin to demand "
a halt to the fighting
" and "
the opening of humanitarian corridors
", while Russia is
is preparing to launch its offensive in Donbass.
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France
Emmanuel Macron
Marine Le Pen
European Union
Ukraine
Vladimir Poutine
Russia
Volodymyr Zelensky
Austria
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