In three days, the famous debate between the two rounds of the presidential election between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen will take place. On Wednesday at 9 p.m., the same two candidates as in 2017 will oppose each other to try to convince voters. Five years ago, it was Nathalie Saint-Cricq, editorial journalist at France Télévisions, who was in charge of presenting it. At the microphone of Europe 1, she shares her analysis and behind the scenes of this highly anticipated debate. “It’s a kind of return match. Marine Le Pen has made enormous progress since 2017. She says it herself, but it can also be seen in her meetings, her speeches or television broadcasts and Emmanuel Macron knows exactly what themes he wants to go”, begins the journalist.
Meticulous preparation for Marine Le Pen
For the 2022 election, the candidate of the National Rally benefits from a smoother image, which she has worked on since her defeat in 2017. This debate between the two rounds is a huge issue and Marine Le Pen does not want to leave anything randomly. From this Monday, she decided to lock herself up to prepare it thoroughly.
“The stakes are huge this time, because according to the polls, it’s tighter. So indeed, it must be prepared”, confirms the journalist. “She understood that the last time, there was a dose of unpreparedness that she lacked. When we saw him arrive with a pile of files, newspaper clippings and that Emmanuel Macron in front of him simply had a sheet of A4 paper with 15 lines written by hand to find your bearings, we understood that there was a little hesitation”, says Nathalie Saint-Cricq.
“And then, it became clearer both very quickly, since she got her brushes mixed up and at that moment, Macron definitely took the advantage. Shortly after, there was the famous gesture ‘they are everywhere’ and there was really a total dropout, she stopped looking at him, she turned to us and she was lost”, she adds.
Emmanuel Macron should not be “arrogant” or “paternalistic”
For his part, Emmanuel Macron has shown himself a lot on the ground this week, going back on pensions and trying to seduce the left. According to the editorialist, the challenge for the outgoing president is to dismantle all his proposals on purchasing power and possibly to highlight his record on unemployment.
“And then he will dismiss Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour back to back, saying that it is a party – which he always calls the National Front – extremist, racist and all the rest. All this without being not arrogant, not paternalistic, not contemptuous”, details Nathalie Saint-Cricq.
A precise debate for the presenters
With 16 million viewers in 2017, the debate is also an issue for presenters. Speaking time, questions and themes chosen by the candidates: everything is precise. “It will also be extremely interesting to see the themes they will choose on Wednesday. Everything is codified, the questions must be flat.” And to add that “for journalists, this is not a political program”: “We are here to give birth to them, if I may say so, of their program. And the confrontations are between the two of them. We are between spectators, animators, announcer… A mix of all that. So it’s certainly frustrating, but that’s not the problem because it’s still fun to do, “explains the journalist.
Gilles Bouleau and Léa Salamé were chosen to present Wednesday’s debate. The National Rally said it did not want a debate presented by Anne-Sophie Lapix, first approached. A “lamentable” decision for Nathalie Saint-Cricq because because of the exercise, the questions are very framed. A way of proceeding, which, according to the editorialist, will lead to change.