The French presidential election campaign accelerated on Sunday with Socialist Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announcing her candidacy, far-right leader Marine Le Pen relinquishing her party leadership and devoting herself to elections next year, while right-wing writer Eric Zemmour said he would take measures to stop the spread of Islam if he wins the presidency.
Opinion polls suggest Le Pen will move to the second round of the presidential elections in 2022, after she faced Emmanuel Macron in the last elections, who defeated her.
As for Hidalgo, who is running for the first time, her chances of winning remain slim, according to opinion polls.
Aliens in the plane
Le Pen, 53, handed over the leadership of her National Rally party to her assistant, Jordan Bardella, and presented her program in detail in a speech she gave in Frejus (southern France), presenting some of her most prominent topics such as the fight against immigration and insecurity.
Le Pen promised to organize a referendum on immigration as soon as she was elected, and to adopt the greatest degree of rigor in the fight against crime, vowing to "put French delinquents in prison, and foreigners on planes", and to restore the authority's prestige in "drug cities or areas that have become more like Taliban areas."
It also promised to approve a referendum for popular consultation, which allows the introduction of laws or legal amendments to citizens, and an electoral system by proportionality.
At the international level, she confirmed that France will withdraw from the unified command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which in its opinion publishes "the outdated war logic of the two former blocs during the Cold War," criticizing on this occasion Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is a member of the alliance. NATO.
"France will decide freely which wars or military interventions it accepts to carry out in a manner that serves its national interest," Le Pen said, stressing, "No French will go to his death in wars that are not ours."
With regard to European institutions, Le Pen promised to "return power to the nations," and said, "We will recognize the right of every country to prioritize its national interest," stressing her determination to "put an end to the crazy technocratic dictatorship" that European institutions are accused of imposing.
📹 "Le Rassemblement National est LE mouvement qui a mis l'immigration et l'insécurité au cœur du débat public, avec courage. Depuis 40 ans, nous attirons l'attention des Français sur le chaos entraîné par la situation migratoire."
#MLaFrance #Le20h
👉🏻 https://t.co/pdA1Z7DOS2 pic.twitter.com/UyfVtJb2d7
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) September 12, 2021
environmental transformation
On the other hand, Hidalgo, 52, confirmed her candidacy in a speech she gave in Rouen, western France, declaring that she is "a candidate to provide a future for our children, all of our children."
Seven months before the first round of the presidential elections, Hidalgo stressed her "experience" as mayor of the capital, Paris, and her policy in combating pollution from cars, highlighting the environmental dimension of her campaign.
"We have to achieve environmental transformation," she said, promising a "five-year plan to decarbonize our economy," beginning negotiations to raise wages, expand decentralization and other topics such as the right to die with dignity.
Hidalgo did not reveal the details of her international programme, saying only that she wanted "a stronger France, a more confident France that can once again deliver its unique voice in Europe and the world."
Hidalgo agreed with Le Pen in attacking President Emmanuel Macron, describing him as "arrogance", and Hidalgo said she wanted to "end the contempt", stressing the importance of "respect".
The two candidates addressed the issue of women, and Hidalgo confirmed that the 2022 elections would constitute "the first meeting of the president of the republic with French women", promising that women would "finally and complete equality in wages as well as in the career path."
As for Le Pen, she pledged to toughen penalties against harassment and to fight for women's freedom. "We will re-establish the freedom of women and girls to move freely without harassment or threats...at any hour of the day or night, in any neighborhood," she said.
Humblement, consciente de la gravité de cet instant, et pour faire de nos espoirs la réalité de nos vies, j'ai décidé d'être candidate à la présidence de la République française.
pic.twitter.com/viaXwURm53
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) September 12, 2021
Ban Muhammad's name
Le Pen faces the prospect of competing with right-wing political writer and journalist Eric Zemmour, whose electoral intentions remain ambiguous.
Although he did not officially announce his candidacy, Zammour began listing what he would take if he took office, indicating that he would take steps to limit the spread of Islam in France and limit it to its religious side, including restoring an old law that prevents Muslim families from naming Muhammad Ali. her newborns.
Zemmour, who is the author of a book called "The French Suicide", claimed that the France he loved is slowly disappearing, and this would be the most important reason for him to run.
The right-wing writer said that there is no difference between terrorist acts in France and Islam, because terrorists consider this religion as their source in committing all these crimes, according to his claim.
Je ne fais pas de différence entre l'islam et l'islamisme, mais je fais une différence entre l'islam et les musulmans, qui ont tout à fait le droit de respecter leur foi.#OEED pic.twitter.com/pWXSBNXX
— Eric Zemmour (@ZemmourEric) September 12, 2021
Tweeters attacked Zammour, describing him as a patient with Islam, while others considered that he openly declares what Le Pen is hiding.
Le mec demande que les musulmans pratiquent moins leur religion c'est un malade https://t.co/jaU1US3AHP
— 🇲🇨🇲🇨 (@xXxAgnEbeR) September 12, 2021
The leader of the Proud France party, Antoine Le Mans, said that Zemmour should repeat his statement, "Calling children after Muhammad is the colonialism of France" in front of the children whose parents died for France to liberate it from the Nazis during World War II, considering that Zemmour's position is "disgusting."
Selon #Zemmour, "appeler son enfant Mohamed, c'est coloniser la France".
Qu'ils aille dire ça droit dans les yeux aux enfants de ceux qui sont morts pour la France quand il fallait la libérer des nazis, lui qui défend le traître à la patrie Pétain.
Ă€ vomir !
— Antoine Léaument 🇫🇷 (@ALeaument) September 12, 2021
As for the representative of the "Republic on the Move" party, François Golfet, he said, "I am terrified," noting that policeman Ahmed Merabet sacrificed his life for France, in reference to the policeman who was killed during an attack on Charlie Hebdo newspaper.
Eric #Zemmour souhaite interdire les prénoms « Mohamed » « Mehdi »… Je suis scandalisé.
Il n'y aurait donc pas d'Ahmed Merabet ?
Ce policier a donné sa vie pour la France.
Le prénom est une histoire personnelle qui peut très bien s'inscrire dans l'histoire commune @ZemmourEric.
— François Jolivet (@FJolivet36) September 12, 2021