Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen exchanged for two and a half hours, live on TF1 and France 2, this Wednesday evening.
She exposes the problems to him, he opposes the solutions. This Wednesday evening, the debate between two rounds between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen quickly turned to the advantage of the president-candidate, his opponent RN remaining too spectator. Silent during the first two thirds of the show, as if paralyzed by the trauma of her performance five years ago, the latter finally uninhibited herself by evoking issues related to the sovereign and institutions. Return match of the 2017 face-to-face, the confrontation between the two finalists of the 2022 presidential election was therefore better in form, but did not fail to turn into a confrontation at times. Le Figaro looks back on the highlights of the exchanges, broadcast live on TF1 and France 2, which lasted two and a half hours.
LIVE – Macron-Le Pen debate: relive the face-to-face between the two rounds of the 2022 presidential election
Purchasing power, energy prices: the president-candidate attacks his opponent
This is the primary concern of the French. As they set out their measures for purchasing power, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen disagreed on wages. Candidate RN proposes to exempt from additional employer contributions employers who would increase the income of their employees by 10%. “You do not administer salaries. (…) I would not like our compatriots to think that it will be on their payroll for sure. (…) I would not like those who listen to us to think that with you, their salary will increase by 10%“, retorted the outgoing head of state, recalling that the increases would remain at the goodwill of companies, and that she would be satisfied with a “incentive“. “It won’t be automatic“, he added. Silent during the exchange, Marine Le Pen then clarified that she would maintain in place, if elected, the tariff shield erected in the face of the explosion in energy prices. An announcement welcomed by the president-candidate, who however recalled that the RN deputy had “voted againstthis measure to the National Assembly.
»VERIFY – We have scrutinized the measures for the purchasing power of Macron and Le Pen
SEE ALSO – Pass of arms on the subject of energy production between Macron and Le Pen
War in Ukraine: “You depend on Russian power”, says Macron to Le Pen
The war in Ukraine has become central to the campaign. To the point that Emmanuel Macron accused his competitor of “depend on Russian power” and “by Mr Putin“, citing the loan of 9 million euros taken out in 2014 by the National Front (now National Rally) from a Russian bank, which the party continues to repay. “You talk to your banker when you talk about Russia, that’s the problem Madame Le Pen“, he added. The RN candidate defended herself from any collusion with the Russian authorities, claiming to support a “Free Ukraine“. She explained that she wasforced to go abroad for a loanin the face of the refusal of French banks to finance themselves. Before reproaching the president-candidate for having buried his promise to create a “democracy bank“. “We’re a poor party, but that’s not dishonorable“, she concluded.
» DOSSIER – War in Ukraine: all our articles to understand the conflict
SEE ALSO – “You depend on Russian power and Mr. Putin”, accuses Emmanuel Macron
Europe: Le Pen’s project “consists in bringing” France out of the EU, judge Macron
The stigmata of five years ago die hard. Even if Marine Le Pen assures that she wishes to build a “Europe of nations» and no longer leave the European Union, Emmanuel Macron quipped: “When you mentioned Europe and the euro in 2017, it revolved around the franc and the ecu. We didn’t quite understand what was going on.“. The outgoing president then pinned the proposal of the candidate RN on the end of posted workers, a measure incompatible according to him with the European treaties. “Saying “I choose my rules”… Either the others follow you, because in Europe we are 27 around the table. Either you are a band apart, and what you describe looks like a band apart», he asserted. “It is a project that does not say its name, but which consists in bringing out” France from the European Union, he warned. “I have much more ambition than you”replied Marine Le Pen, tackling the concept of “european sovereigntydefended by his adversary, insofar as there is nono european people“.
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SEE ALSO – “You still want to leave the EU, but you don’t say it anymore”, tackles Macron against Le Pen
Le Pen denies being “climatosceptic”, accuses Macron of being “climato-hypocritical”
The subject has been little discussed in recent weeks. Defending his record in terms of ecology, Emmanuel Macron criticized his competitor for being “climatosceptic» and to carry a program having «neither head nor tail in this respect“. “I am absolutely not climatosceptic, but you, you are a bit climato-hypocrite“replied the candidate RN. According to Marine Le Pen, the president even embodies “the worst of punitive ecology» and has «accompanied by things of great violence for the middle classes“, such as the incentive to buy electric vehicles or the replacement of fuel boilers. “It always falls on the same people, it’s always those who don’t have the means“, she insisted again, calling to do”a transition in timeto allow the French todeal“. Referring to nuclear power, the nationalist also made her promise to reopen the Fessenheim nuclear power plant. “You started your mandate by closing Fessenheim” when no security reason justified it, she thus reproached the outgoing head of state. There was not “no more investment“Since 2012, he defended himself.
Read alsoPresidential 2022: ecology struggles to infuse into the debate
SEE ALSO – “You are a bit of a hypocritical climato”, retorts Marine Le Pen to Emmanuel Macron
Banning the Islamic veil would lead to ‘civil war’, Macron says
In favor of banning the veil in public space for “liberate women” from “islamistsMarine Le Pen provoked a strong reaction from her opponent. Emmanuel Macron accused her in turn of wanting “create civil war“, to suggest “a betrayal of the French spirit” and of “push some of our compatriots out of the public space“. “You haven’t read my law“replied Marine Le Pen. Response from Emmanuel Macron, tit for tat: “No, but I read the Constitution“. The RN candidate assured not “to wage waragainst Islam, assuring that his proposal aims to “defend the republic» ; “equality between men and women» ; and secularism. In recent days, however, she had sketched an inflection on this subject, which she denied on Wednesday evening.
CHECK – Can Marine Le Pen ban the wearing of the Islamic veil in public spaces?
SEE ALSO – Ban on the veil: “in the cities, you will create civil war”, believes Macron
Focus on the role and representativeness of the Assembly
They both placed institutions at the heart of their project. In a France in crisis, Marine Le Pen urged Emmanuel Macron to “use more oftenParliament after having neglected it, according to her, during the quinquennium. Outlining his vision of ademocratic revival“, the candidate also defended the use of proportional representation and the citizens’ initiative referendum (RIC), in particular for constitutional amendments. Opposite, the outgoing president accused her of wanting “eradicate the role of the Assembly“. “You propose not to respect the French Constitution“, he added, accusing him of”bypass the reps“. “The people are sovereign. It is up to him directly to be able to change the Constitution“, has quickly replied the candidate. And to insist ongovernment of the people, by the people or for the people“, for “offer the French this democratic essence“. Finally, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen agreed on the lack of representativeness of the National Assembly, both pleading for proportional representation to apply to the election of deputies during the legislative elections which will follow those of June 12 and 19. next.
“We are much more disciplined than five years ago”, note Macron and Le Pen
A light parenthesis in the middle of a serious subject. Noting their almost strict equality of speaking time when discussing secularism, Emmanuel Macron intervened to underline with a smile: “We are much more disciplined than five years ago, Madame Le Pen”. “We’re aging”, replied in the same tone the candidate of the RN. Before the outgoing president replies, courteously: “I believe it is factual. I will be very respectful towards you: you don’t see it, I’m afraid it shows more..
SEE ALSO – Presidential debate: “We are much more disciplined than 5 years ago”, have fun Macron and Le Pen