At Emmanuel Macron’s HQ, “moments of cold sweat at 6 p.m.”


Paris Match followed the results of the first round from Emmanuel Macron’s HQ, relocated for the occasion to Porte de Versailles. Summary and backstage of the evening.

Porte de Versailles in Paris, hall 6 of the Parc des expositions, it is difficult before 8 p.m. to find someone who is neither a journalist nor an activist. 700 journalists are accredited to follow candidate Macron’s election evening, including 125 from the foreign press. Activists put on a “Avec vous” t-shirt or grab a flag and wait nicely, sharing the latest estimates and “exit polls”.

8 p.m. is approaching, some politicians and members of the government finally show up. Eric Dupond Moretti, Roselyne Bachelot, Barbara Pompili, Elisabeth Moreno split the crowd, to follow the announcement of the results, their eyes riveted on the giant screen which broadcasts the election evening of France 2. Jean-Pierre Raffarin, François Bayrou and Marisol Touraine are there too. Emmanuel Macron is in the lead, ahead of Marine Le Pen. Clément Beaune and Jean Baptiste Djebbari exult.

What’s next after this ad

The crowd awaits its candidate with cries of “And one and two and five more years”, a slogan already sung at the U Arena last week for the sole meeting of the outgoing president. It will take another hour and forty-five to see it appear. Activists and supporters carefully follow the speeches of the first-round losers. No one is whistled. General amazement when the face of Valérie Pécresse appears alongside her score, estimated at 4.8%. Applause when she calls to vote Emmanuel Macron. Applause also each time Jean-Luc Mélenchon repeats from the Cirque d’hiver: “Not a single voice for Madame Le Pen”.

What’s next after this ad

“For an outgoing president, winning points is not so bad”

“We went through moments of cold sweat at 6 p.m. We went from despair to stupefaction in an hour”, summarizes with Paris Match François Patriat, senator from the Côte d’Or, faithful from the first hour. Emmanuel Macron “gains four points compared to 2017, for an outgoing president to gain points is not so bad. Chirac never did that, Mitterrand either,” he underlines. This feeling of “pride” is immediately mixed with “lucidity”. “A bit of serenity, no triumphalism, a bit of humility and a lot of fighting spirit,” he summarizes. “We have to get every vote, today there are almost 50% of French people who did not vote for Emmanuel Macron or for Marine Le Pen”, adds Clément Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs.

Emmanuel Macron finally arrives at Porte de Versailles, followed by television cameras. He speaks at 9:45 p.m., “The Visitors” initially scheduled at 9:20 p.m. on TF1 will have to wait a few more minutes.

What’s next after this ad

What’s next after this ad

At the podium, behind the slogan “We all” on a turquoise blue background, the president-candidate quotes the names of the candidates from the first round – except Marine Le Pen – one by one and has them applauded. “I would like to thank Anne Hidalgo, Yannick Jadot, Valérie Pécresse and Fabien Roussel who have given me their support this evening,” he adds. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, third, who repeated several times “not a voice for Madame Le Pen” is not forgotten. “I am fully aware that it will not be worth supporting the project that I am carrying and I respect it, I know that it is the choice made for example by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. I want here to salute their clarity with regard to the far right to block the far right”. Jean Castex, Alexis Kohler, Jean-Pierre Chevènement, Bruno Le Maire, Gabriel Attal are there and listening.

Brigitte Macron follows the speech with attention at the foot of the stage. “I am ready to invent something new to bring together the various convictions and sensibilities in order to build with them a common action in the service of our nation for the years to come. It’s our duty”. After this ten-minute speech, he joins his wife. “Brigitte”, “Brigitte”, “Brigitte”, chants the crowd. Emmanuel Macron kisses her and goes to meet the activists with her.

“Multiply travel, meetings”

“I don’t wash my hand anymore”, smiles a lady, “I won’t be able to work tomorrow, my hand is crushed”, jokes another. Selfies, handshakes and a few words to TV cameras, then the winner disappears. This year, no Rotonde with people on the program, an evening that had caused so much talk during the 2017 between-two-rounds.

“The candidate will multiply trips, meetings, meetings when necessary, but it is not necessarily the multiplication of large meetings with his own camp which is decisive. He prefers meeting formats as he was able to do last week in a village square, other forms will come, ”explains Christophe Castaner to Paris Match. Emmanuel will be in Denain (Nord) on Monday, then in Strasbourg on Tuesday and at a meeting in Marseille on Saturday. And Clément Beaune sums up this new campaign that is opening up: “We must plow all the land in France, in mainland France, in the Overseas Territories, centimeter by centimeter”.





Source link -112