Beware a democratic accident, says Macron
Supporters warned that Le Pen could pull off surprise victory as Brexiteers had at the 2016 EU referendum
EMMANUEL MACRON yesterday held up Brexit as proof that nationalist rival Marine Le Pen could pull off a surprise win of France’s presidential elections, as he called on his supporters to stage a “general mobilisation” to ensure he stays in power.
Holding his first rally of the presidential campaign, the centrist incumbent said: “Look at Brexit and so many elections, what appeared impossible – and that happened … nothing is impossible but I don’t want arrogance or defeatism. I want general mobilisation.”
Mr Macron is still out in front but has recently been losing ground to Ms Le Pen ahead of next Sunday’s first round of voting, with polls suggesting that the National Rally leader is within striking distance of beating him should she reach the runoff on April 24.
With a fifth of voters still undecided, Mr Macron used yesterday’s Americanstyle event to issue an ode to Europe while insisting that France was “nobody’s vassal” in the hopes of boosting morale for the final stretch.
Greeted by fireworks and chants of “one, two, five more years”, some 30,000 turned out to see the 44-yearold arrive like a prize fighter in a suit as he took to the stage in the La Defense Arena in Paris, which boasts Europe’s largest covered venue hall.
Until now, his campaign has been almost invisible. His camp insists that is due to his attempts to broker a peace in Ukraine.
And indeed, he kicked off his speech by saying: “While some abroad are bombing a few hours from Paris, others want to take us years backwards, but here you are.”
With a week to go, there are signs that the-rally-round-the-flag effect is wearing thin and in Mr Macron’s few brushes with the electorate on the campaign trail, he has been upbraided for not doing more to protect citizens from rising prices, notably the cost of fuel.
Meanwhile, his main rival Ms Le Pen has been crossing the country making pledges to boost the “purchasing power” of the French if she is elected.
While Mr Macron remains the favourite, Ms Le Pen has cemented her position as his main challenger. An Elabe survey yesterday projected a second round result of 53 per cent to 47 per cent in Mr Macron’s favour, the narrowest margin it has forecast and one that entered what it called “the margin of error” – so Ms Le Pen could, in fact, win. In 2017, Mr Macron defeated her when he won 66 per cent of the vote.
One Cabinet minister conceded that
‘Look at so many elections, what appeared to be impossible – and that happened. Nothing is impossible’
“a democratic accident is possible this time”.
“I’m like the phoenix rising from the ashes,” Ms Le Pen said last week.
Before the rally, pro-Macron MP Frédéric Descrozaille said that Ms Le Pen had led “an absolutely impeccable campaign”. He added: “That said, her programme would be a catastrophe, notably on the international level. All the effort that we have put in over the past five years to restore France’s credibility to attract investors, and with our partners and allies and in terms of leadership would go up in smoke if she was elected.” At the rally, supporters hoping to make clear their feeling about Ms Le Pen were told by Mr Marcron: “You know my rules: in here we don’t whistle anyone, ever.”
But in the closing moments of his two-and-a-half hour speech, he took direct aim at Ms Le Pen and her farRight rival Eric Zemmour.
“We have got used” to extremists’ discourse, he warned, saying that “hatred and alternative truths have become trivialised”.
“They can decide to leave the euro in the morning and return to Europe in the evening without anyone pointing out the incoherence,” he added, in a swipe at Ms Le Pen’s U-turn on leaving the euro and EU.
“Don’t boo them, fight them with ideas, with respect,” he said. “Their programme would ruin modest savers, collapse their purchasing power and lead to the bankruptcy of their pensions but nobody gets worked up. We’ve got used to it,” he warned.
Ms Le Pen has promised to spend €68billion on measures such as income tax exemptions for the under-30s and cutting VAT on petrol to 5.5 per cent from 20 per cent, saying these would be offset by savings, including removing benefits from non-French citizens.
Defending his record, notably a record drop in unemployment, Mr Macron said his five-year term had raised purchasing power “in historic manner” for those on modest wages.
Rather than pledging handouts, he said: “Real purchasing power comes through working, by working more one earns more,” he said, before promising to double single mothers’ aid and allow employers to triple tax-free bonuses for workers.