The leader of the presidential party LREM Stanislas Guérini also called on Saturday morning on LCI to participate in the demonstration in Paris, to "show our total solidarity with the Ukrainian people", adding that France would continue to welcome refugees and "deliver weapons to Ukraine.

On the same line as the executive, Anne Hidalgo for her part advocated on France 2 "unity" and "the delivery of weapons to Ukraine as what is being done today because what is being played out in Ukraine today it is also our freedom in Europe".

Yannick Jadot, who met the Ukrainian ambassador to France, Oleg Shamshur, on Friday evening, promised to maintain mobilization and support for the Ukrainian people.

He also intends to continue to denounce "the complicity" of companies which, like Total, continue their activities in Russia.

Questioned during a trip on Saturday morning to Grau-du-Roi in the Gard, Marine Le Pen for her part reiterated her opposition to the delivery of weapons, believing that "it is adding weapons to the war".

"It is on diplomacy that we must bet everything" and "think about sanctions but which I say must not result in the economic collapse of our own country", she affirmed without further clarification.

RN presidential candidate Marine Le Pen campaigning at Grau du Roi (Gard) on March 5, 2022 Sylvain THOMAS AFP

"Shocking"

On a more political level, she described as "shocking" the "mixture of genres between the President of the Republic and the candidate" who broadcast a campaign video filmed in his office at the Elysée on Friday.

"It doesn't shock you that the resources of the Élysée are made available to the candidate, it doesn't shock you that the application letter is published on the official account of the President of the French Republic? Me, it shocks me enormously".

Before concluding: "It is above all very revealing, it shows that Emmanuel Macron, wants to remain president as long as possible and does not wish, at almost any time, to be truly a candidate".

Emmanuel Macron during a statement at the Elysee Palace on the war in Ukraine, in Paris on March 2, 2022 Ludovic MARIN AFP

Like her and like the rest of the opposition, candidate LR Valérie Pécresse insists that candidate Macron come "into the arena to debate", considering a televised debate "absolutely necessary".

For Anne Hidalgo, Emmanuel Macron "will not escape his record. A record that has fractured France".

The outgoing president assured, in his letter formalizing his candidacy on Thursday evening, that it would allow "an important democratic debate for the Nation".

In his first candidate video on Friday evening, he promised that he would "explain, convince, propose, be attacked, criticized, respond to controversy".

But maybe not in a debate with all the other candidates before April 10.

To stay above the fray by capitalizing on his status as head of state and big favorite in the polls.

Emmanuel Macron is progressing in the latest polls.

He is credited with 30.5% of voting intentions, up 4 points in one week, according to an Ipsos-Sopra-Steria study published on Saturday, and would take off by distancing his closest rival Marine Le Pen by 16 points. (14.5%).

"Not the most useful exercise"

"The president has been debating with the French for five years. The most important thing is the debate with the French," hammered the Minister of Public Accounts Olivier Dussopt on FranceInfo.

"I'm not sure that a 12-person debate around a table, sometimes with somewhat surprising things in each other's proposals, is the most useful exercise," he added.

Olivier Dussopt assured that "the outgoing presidents who represented themselves did not generally lend themselves to this kind of exercise".

The Minister of Public Accounts, Olivier Dussopt, on September 22, 2021 in Paris Thomas SAMSON AFP

Same observation for the general delegate of the presidential party En Marche: "What must be avoided are these moments of clay pigeon shooting where you have an outgoing president and all the candidates who will have only one obsession (... ) create a moment of confrontation".

"This does not allow productive debate, it is sterile confrontation. So we have to find the forms for this confrontation to be positive", added Stanislas Guérini on France Inter.

The final list of candidates will be announced Monday by the President of the Constitutional Council Laurent Fabius at 12:00 p.m. in a video.

In the latest list released Thursday by the institution, there were 11.

The far left candidate Philippe Poutou however announced on Friday that he had the 500 sponsorships of elected officials required, which would make 12 candidates, as in 2017.

© 2022 AFP