French election: Macron and Le Pen wrap up tense campaign

BBC

The two candidates hoping to be France’s next president are making a final push for votes on the last day of campaigning before Sunday’s election.

Centrist Emmanuel Macron – who has a substantial lead in opinion polls – is visiting the southern city of Rodez.

His far-right rival, Marine Le Pen, met representatives of a police trade union in the morning.

Meanwhile Mr Macron has filed a lawsuit over online rumours that he had a secret bank account in the Caribbean.

He has strongly denied the allegations, which were mentioned by Ms Le Pen in Wednesday evening’s rancorous final TV debate between the two contenders.

Tourists walk at Trocadero square as activists from the environmentalist group Greenpeace unfurl a giant banner on the Eiffel Tower which reads Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionGreenpeace activists unfurled a giant banner on the Eiffel Tower urging people to resist the rise of the National Front

An opinion poll by the Odoxa Institute for France Info predicted Sunday’s election would have the lowest turnout of any second-round presidential vote in France since 1969. The institute reported that far-left voters were particularly unlikely to vote.

Both candidates started the day with media interviews, and then ecclesiastical visits were on both agendas.

Mr Macron visited the cathedral at Rodez, while Ms Le Pen was expected in Reims, in northern France.

Mr Macron said that he had already decided who his prime minister would be, if elected, but implied that the person themselves did not know.

The prime minister would reflect the spirit of renewal he had built, he added.

He also said that he would introduce an element of proportional representation for elections to France’s National Assembly within his first year in office.

Ms Le Pen, who stepped aside as leader of the National Front (FN) to fight the election, has already announced that her prime minister would be the mainstream nationalist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, who was defeated in the first round.

Mr Dupont-Aignan said on Friday that Emmanuel Macron was “a dangerous candidate” for France.

Ms Le Pen, interviewed on RTL, said Mr Macron’s decisions would lead to the dissolution of France, with “migratory submersion” and “social devastation”.

Emmanuel Macron (centre) outside Rodez cathedral in southern France (5 May 2017)
Image captionMr Macron (centre) was in contemplative mood outside Rodez cathedral on Friday morning
Marine Le Pen attends a Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionMarine Le Pen campaigned in northern France on Thursday

On Friday the campaign group Greenpeace unfurled a large banner with an anti-FN message from the Eiffel Tower in central Paris.

Mr Macron and Ms Le Pen came top of the 11 candidates in total who participated in the first round of voting on 23 April.

While the outcome of Sunday’s second round should be clear that evening, the results will be officially proclaimed by France’s constitutional council on Thursday, 11 May.

Sunday, 14 May, marks the end of outgoing President Francois Hollande’s term, and is the latest possible date for the inauguration and official transfer of power to his successor.

Mr Hollande, of the Socialist Party (PS), chose not to stand for a second five-year term due to his unpopularity.

While Mr Macron served in Mr Hollande’s cabinet, he is not a member of the PS and has formed his own political movement, En Marche! (On the move).

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply