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Presidential 2022: funny campaign, funny election and now, funny five-year term?

Audio 20:53

Emmanuel Macron, in front of his supporters, on the evening of his re-election for a second term as President of the Republic, April 24, 2022. © REUTERS - GONZALO FUENTES

By: Alexandra Cagnard Follow

4 mins

On April 24, 2022, the French re-elected Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic with 58.5% of the votes cast.

His opponent Marine Le Pen won 41.5% of the vote.

28% of registered voters abstained.

Emmanuel Macron assured that his second term would not be " 

the continuity of the five-year term which is ending

 ".

Marine Le Pen felt that her score represented " 

a resounding victory

 ".

What do these statements mean?

In this episode, we discuss it with Valérie Gas, head of the political department of RFI and her deputy, Julien Chavanne. 

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In this episode of

Witnesses to the news

,

Valérie Gas

begins by explaining to us that if in Emmanuel Macron's camp everything was done to say that nothing was decided before the second round, "

we rather displayed a form of serenity

 " before the results.

When on the side of Marine Le Pen, says

Julien Chavanne

, “

it was rather resignation.

Marine Le Pen had planned two speeches, one for defeat, the other for victory.

There was also a big parade she hoped to do, to the Place de la Concorde surrounded by buses.

We learned that these buses had been canceled the day before the result

 .

If Marine Le Pen has again failed in this race for the Élysée, she achieves her best score in three participations.

"

 When we question her advisers

," says Julien, "

they tell us that she had the whole system in front of her, but that if it continues like this, in five years, the victory will be there 

".

Valérie continues: "

 She remained in her campaign strategy, with a real presidential posture and from this point of view, she rose in rank, but I think that if she did not win, it is because the French people do not, at this stage, want to elect a far-right candidate

 ”.

But she adds: 

The dice are not cast, French politics is full of surprises, let this quinquennium take place and we will take stock in five years on this breakthrough of the far right 

”.

This score for Marine Le Pen, added to that of abstention, still risks hindering Emmanuel Macron.

“ 

It means something of the divisions, the anger and the discouragement of some who no longer believe in anything, that they no longer believe in him.

We must not forget that Emmanuel Macron arouses a lot of animosity and he will have to manage this during this five-year term which does not promise to be easy

 .

Asked why he would change, since the constitution prevents him from standing for a third term, Valérie answers: " 

There is a question of image, a question of vision of oneself and of France and it wants to mark his passage over this second five-year term and he cannot put (as at the time of the yellow vests) part of France back on the street 

”.

Are we likely to see the protest vote again, during the legislative elections, on June 12 and 19?

 Marine Le Pen would finally like to have a group,

says Julien

.

The more deputies it has, the more it will be able to weigh.

In his camp, they claim to have candidates in all the constituencies.

Agreements with candidates from Éric Zemmour's Reconquête party are not excluded 

”.

“ 

The legislative elections represent a different equation

,” says Valérie.

There is the ground anchoring of a number of parties that will play.

Deputies will be able to campaign on their own behalf, but to say that Emmanuel Macron has a high probability of not having a majority in the National Assembly, I think it is unlikely

 ".

And the traditional parties in all this?

“ 

The two major parties, the Republicans and the Socialist Party, are completely crushed.

Both are counting on their local roots so as not to disappear completely.

It will be easier on the left,

says Julien,

by joining France Insoumise, which remains an opposition party, than for Les Républicains, who will be

 " 

eaten

 "

 by Emmanuel Macron and who will no longer be in opposition.

The post Macron will be complicated on the right

 ”.

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  • Presidential France 2022

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • Marine Le Pen

Our guests

  • Valerie Gas

  • Julien Chavanne

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