Purchasing power: first pass of arms between Macron and Le Pen from the start of the debate

Europe 1 with AFP 9:35 p.m., April 20, 2022

The two presidential finalists Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen started their debate on the wheel hats Wednesday evening by clashing from the start in particular on purchasing power and energy prices, four days from the second round.

"France's greatest asset is its people," said the RN candidate, the first to intervene in the debate, stressing that "I have been going to meet them for years".

"The concerns are there"

"For five years, I have seen them suffer, worry about downgrading and a precariousness that remains widespread," she added.

For his part, the outgoing president insisted on this period of "unprecedented crises" citing the Covid-19 pandemic and the war on European soil in Ukraine.

"The concerns are there," he said, adding that he had "tried to make the right decisions."

"And I want to continue to do so because I believe first that we must and we can make our country more independent and stronger through its economy, through work, through research, innovation, through its culture", he said.

The two opponents shook hands on entering the set for a 2:30 debate, refereed by star journalists from TF1 and France 2, Gilles Bouleau and Léa Salamé.

One, Emmanuel Macron, is on the left of the screen, the other, Marine Le Pen, on the right, the reverse positioning of five years ago.

The RN candidate was the first to arrive around 7:45 p.m. in the recording studios in Saint-Denis, declaring herself “serene” and saying that she wanted to take advantage of the debate to “explain to the French my project, the real one”.

Shortly after, the outgoing president entered the scene in turn, accompanied by his wife Brigitte.

He said he was "concentrated and ready for a debate which should allow both of us to explain our ideas, our projects for France, to also clarify everything that needs to be, and other".

"I think we are aware of the importance of this moment, I also have to answer for everything we have done over the next 5 years", he added in a slip that he hopes prophetic.

After many negotiations and draws for this unmissable presidential meeting, it was the RN candidate who spoke first and who will conclude the debate.

Also drawn by lot, purchasing power was the first topic addressed.

It remains the main concern of the French, according to an Ipsos / Sopra Steria poll of more than 12,000 people and published on Wednesday.

remobilize

According to the experts, the exercise does not usually upset the dynamics of voting intentions.

But it could serve to remobilize certain electorates and "move more votes than what has been observed since the beginning of the Fifth Republic", indicates Brice Teinturier, deputy general manager of Ipsos France.

Especially since a possible strong abstention could scramble the game on Sunday.

Some 69% of respondents say they are certain to vote, according to the Ipsos poll, a drop of six points compared to the survey of April 30 and May 1, 2017. Four days before the second round, the polls invariably give the advantage to the outgoing president, with 54 to 56.5% of voting intentions against 43.5 to 46% for Marine Le Pen.

That is a difference of 8 to 12 points.

A tighter gap than in 2017, when Mr. Macron won with a lead of 32 points (66% against 34%).

The two candidates differ on Ukraine, relations with Russia, like almost everything else: from pensions to ecology through the wearing of the veil, public freedoms and institutions, purchasing power and European Union.

The outgoing president's "weak point" "and perhaps also his strong point is never to doubt himself," said RN President Jordan Bardella on France 2. While the "real strong point " by Marine Le Pen, according to him, "is to talk about people's daily lives".

The defense of purchasing power has been placed at the heart of the campaign of the far-right candidate.

"There is no stress but a little apprehension because we know that many French people will decide on this debate", he added.

"Play Like Lendl"

Unlike 2017, Mr. Macron presents himself this time with an outgoing president's record to defend and will be attacked by his competitor on his supposed "contempt" and "arrogance" towards the French.

An angle of attack anticipated by the Macron camp: it is necessary "that it gets rid of this elite image because people need empathy. Above all, it is necessary to appease the rejection it releases", underlines an official from the majority.

Another explains that "the difficulty is that you have to play it like Ivan Lendl: baseline and return the ball. And not like (John) McEnroe going up to the net and putting a point where we will say he's arrogant."

But the outgoing president will also try to push his rival into a corner regarding his program, and to unravel the smooth image of the one who remains in his eyes "the heiress" of the Le Pen "clan".

The two candidates return to the field on Thursday for the last 48 hours of the official campaign, which ends Friday evening.

Mr. Macron will travel to Saint-Denis to talk about unsanitary housing and urban renewal.

Ms. Le Pen will hold her last major meeting, in Arras in the Pas-de-Calais.