by michel rose
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron cleared a major hurdle on his way to re-election with a combative television debate against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen that won over most viewers, according to a poll, including if he was still considered arrogant. .
Although Le Pen appeared more polished and collected than in a televised duel for the presidency in 2017, Macron went on the offensive over his ties to the Russian leadership, his plans for the economy and his policy towards the European Union.
With just four days to go before the decisive vote, some 59% of viewers considered Macron to have been the most convincing in the debate, according to a BFM TV snapshot poll. That suggested the nearly three-hour standoff would not alter the course of the election, with Macron leading in all previous polls.
Voter polls have shown Macron’s lead over Le Pen widening to 56-44% since the first round on April 10, with analysts saying the debate is unlikely to tip voting intentions in favor. of LePen.
“Yes, Emmanuel Macron won, but his adversary has prevented a repeat of last time’s disaster,” Gerard Araud, a former French ambassador, said on Twitter. “This debate doesn’t disqualify her like the one in 2017, but it doesn’t help close the gap either.”
On offense for most of the debate, Macron’s most penetrating line of attack was a loan to Le Pen’s party for his 2017 campaign arranged through a Russian bank.
“You talk about your banker when you talk about Russia, that’s the problem,” Macron told his opponent. “You depend on Russian power, you depend on Mr. Putin.”
On the cost of living, described as the most important issue for the French in this election, Macron also seemed to put Le Pen on the defensive, asking her why she had voted against his plans to limit electricity prices if I wanted to help in difficulties. workers
‘ARROGANT VS. SCARY’
Still, during the debate Macron failed to dispel an image of haughtiness that has become entrenched during his presidency. He repeatedly interrupted his rival with lines like “Ms. Le Pen is much more disciplined than she was five years ago” and “Stop mixing everything up.”
“Mr Macron, stop lecturing me,” Le Pen replied. On the contrary, he adopted a much more polite and soft tone than in 2017, going so far as to applaud Macron’s diplomatic efforts to prevent war in Ukraine.
A quick Elabe opinion poll on the personal characteristics of each candidate showed that 50% of French people thought Macron had been arrogant during the debate, while only 16% thought Le Pen had.
Le Pen also seemed marginally more in tune with ordinary citizens, with 37% of viewers saying she sounded closer to people’s concerns, while only 34% thought Macron was.
He also delivered a memorable punchline, which may resonate with leftist and younger voters who think Macron hasn’t done enough to combat climate change, despite his initial mandate slogan “Make our planet great again.” .
“I’m not a climate skeptic, but you are a bit of a climate hypocrite,” Le Pen joked.
But Macron’s mastery of the details of politics made him appear more “presidential,” the same Elabe poll showed, while she failed to convince most viewers that she was fit to govern.
“Each one of them has a great weakness,” said Bernard Sananes of the Elabe pollster. “Emmanuel Macron is considered arrogant by more than one in two viewers. And Marine Le Pen is still terrifying to half of them.”
(Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
Reference-news.yahoo.com