In addition to Mr. Macron, the other candidates present will be Anne Hidalgo (PS), Yannick Jadot (EELV), Marine Le Pen (RN), Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI), Valérie Pécresse (LR), Fabien Roussel (PCF) and Eric Zemmour (Reconquest!).

Scheduled at 8:20 p.m., this live broadcast should end around 11:00 p.m.

It is called "France facing the war" because the conflict in Ukraine and its consequences for France will be at the center of the questions, explained to AFP the editor-in-chief of the political department of the TF1 group, Adrien Gindre.

Presented by Anne-Claire Coudray and Gilles Bouleau, the program will take place in three phases during which the candidates will intervene individually, one after the other.

The presidential candidates Jonathan WALTER AFP

First, a "profession of faith" of one minute each, then individual interviews of about a quarter of an hour.

Finally, the candidates will have in turn a two-minute "right of reply" allowing them to come back to some of the points raised previously.

Four absent

Monday in Poissy (Yvelines), for his first outing as a candidate, Mr. Macron confirmed that he "would not debate with the other candidates before the first round".

“No sitting president who is standing for re-election has done so,” he said.

According to Mr. Gindre, his refusal to participate in a debate is not the only element that motivated the choice of Monday's format.

President Emmanuel Macron, candidate for re-election, during a "Conversation" with the inhabitants of Poissy, March 7, 2022 Ludovic MARIN AFP / Archives

"There was no unanimity among the candidates" and "not all of them agreed on the advisability of having a debate, on the number of participants, on the right configuration", he added. he rocks.

Among the twelve candidates officially in the running, four will not participate in the show: Nathalie Arthaud (LO), Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (DLF), Jean Lassalle (Résistons!) and Philippe Poutou (NPA).

"Democratic debate is good, but it's not for everyone," protested Philippe Poutou on Twitter on Friday.

"To be a candidate, you have to pass the obstacle of 500 sponsorships. But to participate in the presidential debate on TF1, you must also pass the obstacle of Bouygues (group that owns the channel, editor's note).

Philippe Poutou, NPA presidential candidate, at a meeting in Besançon, March 9, 2022 SEBASTIEN BOZON AFP / Archives

It's like in business, it's the boss who decides!", Added Nathalie Arthaud, also on Twitter.

"There are no big or small candidates, just as there are no small or big French people", had already argued Mr. Dupont-Aignan Thursday on France 5.

Speaking time

These four candidates "will have access to the TF1 antenna in proportion to the time they have in application of the rules of equity" of speaking times, commented Mr. Gindre.

"We really apply the letter and the spirit of the Arcom rules" (ex-CSA, the audiovisual regulator, editor's note), he added.

According to the rules of Arcom, televisions and radios must apply to declared candidates a "principle of equity in comparable programming conditions" during the period which opened on Tuesday and will end on March 27.

Nathalie Arthaud, LO presidential candidate, March 5, 2022 in Strasbourg Frederick FLORIN AFP / Archives

This means that they and their supporters must be on the air equally in the same time slots (morning, day, evening and night).

But this is not a strict equality, because the political weight of the candidates is taken into account (results in previous elections, number of elected, polls...).

From March 28, two weeks before the first round, this "principle of fairness" will be replaced by a "principle of equality".

After the show "Face aux françaises" on Monday March 7 on LCI, that of TF1 is the second to feature as many confirmed presidential candidates, whose first round will take place on April 10.

For its part, BFMTV confirmed this week "the organization of a big special evening with all the candidates / candidates successively on March 23", without "more details at this stage".

Finally, requested by AFP, the direction of the information of the public group France Télévisions indicated "to work on the organization of an evening on March 31".

© 2022 AFP