Presidential: Emmanuel Macron galvanizes his troops during a giant meeting

Europe 1 with AFP 7:04 p.m., April 2, 2022

President-candidate Emmanuel Macron galvanized his troops Saturday at a giant meeting near Paris to consolidate his position as presidential favorite in the face of Marine Le Pen's surge in the polls.

More than for the first round, where he is still at the top of the voting intentions, those around him are worried about the narrowing of the gap with the far-right candidate in the second round with several studies giving him 53% against 47% to Marine Le Pen.

In a speech with a strong social tone in front of more than 30,000 people, he notably mentioned purchasing power, amputated by galloping inflation and at the center of the campaign, promising "from this summer" the tripling of the "Macron bonus" which can go “up to 6,000 euros, without charge or tax”.

After a minimal start to the campaign, this is the first major meeting - and probably the only one before the first round on April 10 - to "convince, to mobilize" with "a project of progress, independence, future for our France and for Europe", he launched on the stage of the Arena in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), the largest indoor hall in Europe.

Education and health

He focused on two areas hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, education because "the social elevator is still too broken down" and health, an area "where we must go further" , paying tribute both to the teaching staff, the "craftsmen of the Republic" and to the health personnel, who have to face "exhaustion".

Emmanuel Macron went back on his promises of lower taxes and a return to full employment while specifying his proposal for reform of the RSA linking this aid to an "insertion" activity of 15 to 20 hours per week, which had been much criticized. by these adversaries, both on the left and on the extreme right.

"We will set up training, integration and reintegration activities for RSA beneficiaries" and "it is not a question, as some have claimed, of work of general interest, even less of wanting to cut aid to those whom life has damaged too much".

He again defended raising the retirement age to 65, a promise also under fire from critics.

"Do not believe those who explain to you that they will retire at 60 or 62, (..) and that everything will be fine, it's not true", he hammered, clearly targeting Marine the pen.

"Good luck to those who, faced with Russia, advocate the great withdrawal and good luck to those who, faced with the return of empires and the challenges of the times, defend the + great stunting +", he launched against the leitmotif of " great replacement" by Eric Zemmour.

Do not "stir up fears"

Referring on several occasions to the war in Ukraine, which marks the "return of tragedy in history", the candidate Macron, also current president of the Council of the European Union, underlined that he was not one of those " who stir up fears and seek scapegoats, it is useless".

In a more emotional register, he evoked these five years which "have been rough for all of us and for some so rough, so unfair, the most upsetting for half a century".

Traveling to Marseille, the far-right candidate Eric Zemmour for his part called on the voters of the Republicans whom he considers "betrayed" by LR to vote for him rather than for the right-wing candidate Valérie Pécresse.

At the same level (around 8.5 to 10%) as the ex-controversialist, Valérie Pécresse (LR) does not want to "let go of anything" and is also counting on the meeting to be held on Sunday at Porte de Versailles in Paris, where the tenors Republicans will call on right-wing voters to rally behind her.

Saying to herself "serene", Marine Le Pen appears more than ever determined to replay, to win, the same match as in 2017, with a second round against the outgoing president.

But the rebellious Jean-Luc Mélenchon hopes to disrupt this game by beating her in the first round, the latest polls crediting him with around 15-16% of the voting intentions on April 10.

"Le Pen presents the same fragility as Mr. Macron, their deep indifference to social mistreatment", so "we are going to convince, a lot of things will change" and "the vote is more open than many think", he said. he declared on Saturday in Paris.

The communist candidate Fabien Roussel sought to convince him in Villeurbanne (Rhône): "Voting efficiently means voting on happy days".