France election: TV duel Macron – Le Pen

Before the French elections in 2022, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen fought a tough exchange of blows in a TV duel.

Update from April 21, 2022, 6:30 a.m.: A few days before the runoff election in France, President Emmanuel Macron and his right-wing populist challenger Marine Le Pen attacked each other in the struggle for the last undecided voters. “You depend on Russia and the Russian President,” Macron accused Le Pen in the televised duel.

“When you talk about Russia, you talk about your lender,” Macron said, referring to the millions of dollars in loans Le Pen received from a Russian-Czech bank. Le Pen called the allegations “false and dishonest”. Her party took out the loan because no French bank wanted to give her a loan. “I am a completely free woman,” she declared. Her independence was never compromised.

France election: Le Pen calls for a headscarf ban – Macron fears civil war

In addition, Macron rejected the demand of his opponent Marine Le Pen for a headscarf ban in public spaces. “The separation of church and state does not mean fighting a religion,” said Macron. “The question of the headscarf is a question of religion, an external sign.” If one wants to ban the headscarf, one must also ban the kippa and other religious symbols. The constitution provides no basis for this.

The headscarf is only taboo in schools and in public administration for reasons of neutrality, said Macron. “You’re going to start a civil war in the neighborhoods if you do that,” the president said. “France, the country of the Enlightenment, would be the first country in the world to ban religious signs on the street.” Le Pen had previously described a headscarf ban as a measure against Islamism. “I am in favor of banning the headscarf in public places,” she said.

France election: Majority finds Macron more convincing in TV duel than Marine Le Pen

According to a survey, Macron emerged victorious from the TV debate with Le Pen. About two out of three viewers said in the survey by the Elabe institute that the head of state was more convincing. After the more than two and a half hour debate, a total of 650 people who had followed the duel were interviewed.

It was the only televised duel in this presidential election campaign. Macron and Le Pen meet in the runoff on Sunday. According to surveys, Macron is currently at 55 to 56.5 percent, about ten points less than five years ago.

France election: Macron and Le Pen exchange blows in the TV duel

+++ 11:01 p.m.: Emmanuel Macron has accused his right-wing populist challenger Marine Le Pen of “dependence” on Russia. “When you talk about Russia, you’re talking about your donor,” Macron said on Wednesday (April 20, 2022) in the TV duel between the two presidential candidates.

Macron alluded to multimillion-euro loans Le Pen received from a Russian-Czech bank close to the Kremlin. “You depend on Russia and on the Russian President,” stressed Macron.

Le Pen called the allegations “false and dishonest”. Her party took out the loan “because no French bank wanted to give me a loan”. She is an “absolutely and completely free woman”. Referring to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, she said she supports Ukraine’s independence from the US, the EU and Russia.

+++ 10:08 p.m.: Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen have presented opposing proposals to boost purchasing power, a key issue in the election campaign. At the start of the television debate before the runoff election, Macron promised increases in pensions and the minimum wage, as well as a cap on gas and electricity prices. It is also important to further reduce unemployment. Le Pen proposed reducing VAT on energy and eliminating taxes on 100 basic necessities.

France Election 2022 – Macron accuses Le Pen of ties to Putin

At the beginning of the TV debate, Macron and Le Pen try to have an objective, albeit critical, exchange. When the two sat opposite each other before the 2017 election, the discussion was characterized by insults and personal attacks. Macron now showed himself to be a listener who agrees with Le Pen on some of the statements – but then refutes her conclusions. Le Pen presents herself as an advocate for the population.

+++ 6.13 p.m.: Shortly before the decisive round of the French presidential election, Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny called for incumbent Emmanuel Macron to be elected. His opponent, the right-wing populist Marine Le Pen, has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian opposition activist said on Twitter on Wednesday.

France election: Macron is ahead in polls shortly before the TV duel

Navalny said he was “shocked” that Le Pen’s party, then called Front National, received a €9 million loan from “Putin’s notorious money-laundering facility,” the First Czech-Russian Bank, in 2014. He does not doubt that this deal “also had an opaque political component”. “It’s corruption. And it’s a sale of political influence to Putin,” added the 45-year-old.

Update from Wednesday, April 20th, 2022, 4:45 p.m.: On Wednesday evening, the top candidates for the presidential elections in France, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, will meet in a television duel. According to polls, incumbent President Macron was able to extend his lead over the right-wing populist.