In Bordeaux, Christiane Taubira, favorite of the Popular Primary, a left-wing citizen consultation launched from Thursday to Sunday, held its first public meeting in the evening, in front of an audience of many young people making the “ola”.
While purchasing power, the number one priority of the French according to opinion polls, is more than ever at the center of the electoral campaign, the representatives of the left have made their voices heard in the Paris procession from the demonstration to the union call.
Denouncing, like the leader of rebellious France, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who remains the best placed on the left according to the polls at around 9-10%, "a parasitic class which lives on the backs of the country", the representatives of the left have called for a large wage increase in response to protesters who say "everything goes up, except wages".
“While everyone was enduring this crisis, others continued to make profits, again and again, and better than before”, launched Mr. Mélenchon, adding: “They stuffed themselves like never before”.
"The statistics speak for themselves: the richest have gotten richer, the poorest have gotten poorer", added the ecologist Yannick Jadot in reference to the Macron five-year term, while the communist Fabien Roussel said he wanted to "embody a left popular, close to the people, who likes to eat well and who would like to eat better".
The EELV candidate published his program on Thursday, which he will present on Saturday in Lyon, focused on renewable energies, a "climate ISF" and thermal insulation, as well as a minimum wage of 1,500 euros net in 2027 and the opening wage negotiations by branch.
purchasing power
After identity issues in the fall, then the management of the Covid crisis, purchasing power is thus making a strong comeback in the electoral campaign.
Yannick Jadot, environmental candidate (EELV) in the French presidential election, during the demonstration to defend purchasing power, on January 27, 2022 in Paris Thomas SAMSON AFP
And for good reason: a majority of voters (59%) believe that this is their main priority ahead of social protection (51%), security (44%), immigration (37%) and the environment (34%), according to the OpinionWay barometer published on Thursday.
For the candidates on the left, the stakes are crucial.
But their camp, handicapped by its divisions, is struggling to be heard on this promising theme 73 days from the first round and facing the outgoing president, favorite in the polls but who has still not declared himself.
A sign, however, that the hour is approaching, the presidential majority put Emmanuel Macron's campaign site online on Thursday, "Avec vous", even if it does not mention the Republic on the move or Mr. Macron anywhere.
On the right, which has also taken up the theme of purchasing power, Valérie Pécresse is reworking the terms of her proposal to increase net salaries by 10% in the private sector up to 2.2 Smic.
This increase of "10%, excluding inflation, over the five-year term" is my "flagship measure", said the Republican (LR) candidate on Thursday, saying she wanted to "start in July with a 3% increase".
Faced with soaring fuel prices - a particularly sensitive subject since the crisis of "yellow vests" - the executive is multiplying new "shock absorbers".
The power distributes "anti-inflation" checks of 100 euros to 38 million French people and has just raised the scale of mileage allowance for professional expenses by 10%, after having blocked or slowed down the prices of gas and fuel. electricity.
Taubira "confident"
Meanwhile, on the internet, nearly half a million people registered for the Popular Primary began to vote on Thursday - already 100,000 at 6:00 p.m. - to choose their presidential champion, among seven left-wing candidates, several of whom refuse to vote. forward to recognize the result of this unprecedented consultation.
The former Keeper of the Seals Christiane Taubira (around 5% in the polls), at a meeting in Bordeaux on Thursday evening, said she was "confident" when approaching this ballot.
She promised to comply with her result, unlike her three main competitors, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Yannick Jadot and Anne Hidalgo.
And hopes well in the event of victory - result Sunday evening - to gather behind it part of the left.
The process is "interesting, sympathetic, but I continue my way", assured the socialist Anne Hidalgo on BFMTV and RMC.
At present, the pollsters give behind Emmanuel Macron (around 24-25%) the far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen, and those of the Republicans, Valérie Pécresse, in a pocket handkerchief between 16 and 18%, followed from afar by Eric Zemmour.
The latter was to debate again in the evening on C8 against Mr. Mélenchon.
© 2022 AFP