Lionel Gougelot (in Denain), edited by Laura Laplaud 10:15 a.m., April 21, 2022

If opinions are divided on the conclusion of the debate between the two rounds on Wednesday evening, one thing is certain, the militants of the National Rally (RN) are proud of their candidate.

They were gathered to follow this face-to-face with attention.

Report from Denain, in the north of France, where Marine Le Pen had won more than 40% of the votes in the first round.

REPORT

Slices of pizza are placed on the coffee table, the giant television screen is on.

At the start of the debate between the two rounds of the presidential election, the voters of Marine Le Pen are feverish like supporters before a big match.

"Of course, we are a little stressed for her and I even think that we are more stressed than her", laughs one of the viewers met by Europe 1 in Denain.

"When we see the images all smiles, when she arrives on the set, we wonder how she is doing?"

he wonders.

Retirement at 60, the highlight of the candidate's program

But we quickly perceive some annoyances, especially from the first discussions on the issue of purchasing power.

"I find that he [Emmanuel Macron] cuts it enormously", judges a viewer.

"Almost every time and I find it really unbearable," she breathes.

"But what I like is that Marine remains very calm and poised."

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A moment of hesitation or embarrassment is felt on the question of borrowing from the Russian bank, but its activists find a smile when they approach retirement at 60.

"Retirement from 40 annuities, I think that's one of the strengths of the program."

What may be convincing the voters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon: "For the voter on the left who has difficulty finishing the end of the month, it is she who has the answers to the problems of the French currently", affirms the one of the activists.

Will Marine Le Pen reverse the trend in the polls?

At the end of the debate, the performance of the candidate, much better than in 2017, is applauded.

"I think that indeed people are thinking 'maybe something happened' and those who could still doubt her ability to lead the country are now convinced that she can lead the country tomorrow", continues -he.

It remains to be seen now whether Marine Le Pen's performance will be likely to reverse the trend in the polls.