“Le De’bat”, this is the title of the hour and a half of confrontation with no holds barred between the two candidates in the race for the Elysée, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. A live TV that could change the cards in view of the ballot on April 24th. Today, according to the latest polls, Macron is in the lead with about 55% of the preferences, Le Pen is about ten points behind.
The rules of the debate
Purchasing power, international, social model (pensions, health, elderly care), environment, competitiveness and attractiveness of France, youth and education, security and immigration, institutions. These are the eight themes at the center of the television face-to-face. The order of the themes was established by drawing lots, as were the positions of the two contenders (Macron seated on the left, Le Pen on the right) and the order of response. For each topic, a speaking time of 20 minutes has been established, then 10 minutes for each candidate, which journalists will have to enforce. In the end, a ‘carte blanche’ will be given to candidates who develop a theme of their choice: the first to challenge will be the outgoing president while Le Pen will close the debate.
The clash of 2017 and the candidates’ “cards”
In 2017, in order Macron and Le Pen had debated on the economy, terrorism, education and Europe, but the far-right leader had given up developing her ‘carte blanche’ even though she had prepared an intervention on lower pensions. An Odoxa-Backbone Consulting survey for Le Figaro revealed that 54% of French people rate Le Pen as “the best or the least worst” on the issue of purchasing power if she were elected, compared to 42% for Macron. After all, the theme of purchasing power was central in the campaign and the interventions of the candidate of the Rassemblement national. Macron will be the first to intervene on the subject of politics and the international situation and will certainly assert his diplomatic commitment in the crisis between Ukraine and Russia. On the three social issues – pensions, health care and elderly assistance – analysts expect Le Pen’s criticism of the outgoing president’s work, in particular on the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, and a clash on the issue of pension reform. But according to sources close to Le Pen, more than crushing Macron, she will undertake to demonstrate solidity, reliability and competence on the various dossiers. The other topics followed, the last of which on institutions and possible reforms was at the center of the debate during the last phase of the campaign. On the one hand, Le Pen defends his idea of a “referendum revolution” with the creation of a citizen-initiative referendum starting from 500,000 signatures.