The New Popular Front is asking billionaires to make an effort, the National Rally wants to reassure: the representatives of the main parties in the legislative race held their grand oral exam in front of the bosses on Thursday, while Gabriel Attal called on voters to elect him to Matignon.
Jordan Bardella, Jean-Luc Mélenchon or himself? “The French will choose a Prime Minister” on June 30 and July 7, launched the leader of the presidential camp, personalizing the legislative campaign around these three figures, even though the left has not designated its future candidate for Matignon in the event of victory.
While his majority is worried about the animosity aroused by Emmanuel Macron in public opinion, the Prime Minister tried Thursday to take back the reins by traveling to Orne and Sarthe, urging the French to give “a majority absolute” to his camp. Words already used identically by Mr. Bardella, who would refuse the position in the event of a relative majority on July 7.
But his stroll in Le Mans was cut short by around thirty demonstrators, one of whom shouted: “You are the doormat of the extreme right”, noted an AFP journalist.
Targeted from all sides by oppositions and singled out on Wednesday by the European Commission which opened the way to procedures for excessive public deficits, the presidential camp tried to defend its economic program in front of the bosses.
It was former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, for Horizons, who opened the series of hearings in the Gaveau room in Paris, repeating his attachment to the policy in favor of businesses deployed by the current presidential majority.
“We absolutely must not change the logic,” he declared in front of a large audience made up of employers’ organizations such as the Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises (CPME), the Union of Local Enterprises (U2P), or the Movement of mid-sized companies (Meti), in addition to Medef. We must “even go further”, according to him.
“Economic patriotism”
He was followed by Eric Coquerel (LFI) and Boris Vallaud (PS) for the New Popular Front, who defended a program accused by the executive of being expensive.
On stage, Mr. Vallaud proposed a “new productive pact” uniting workers, captains of industry and consumers; and called on billionaires to “an effort at economic patriotism”. Criticized for internal disagreements over the costing of the program, Mr. Coquerel promised “something homogeneous” by the end of the week.
The latter received boos from the audience when he made the distinction between “those who produce wealth in this country and those who look above all at stock market prices”. The left alliance plans to present the costing of its program on Friday noon during a press conference.
This high mass was the opportunity for Jordan Bardella and Eric Ciotti to appear side by side for the first time since the announcement of their alliance.
The president of the RN denounced the government’s “budgetary unreason” and the “risk of economic stalling”, committing to “completely” removing the CVAE, a production tax which weighs on businesses – this last measure also being defended by the majority.
On the repeal of the pension reform, a promise whose modalities remain unclear, the doubt has not been resolved: “We absolutely did not understand what the timetable and reality would be” of the repeal of the reform , reacted Medef boss Patrick Martin at the end of the hearings.
Concerning the left, Mr. Martin castigated the minimum wage proposal of 1,600 euros, affirming “that if we want to precipitate the bankruptcy of companies let’s go there cheerfully”.
Appeals dismissed
Despite this, electoral promises have multiplied, within the left-wing coalition, in the RN and even within the government after recent commitments by Gabriel Attal in favor of purchasing power. The latter also reiterated that taxes would not increase – a “golden rule”.
The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, however warned during these hearings in the Gaveau room: “France’s budgetary room for maneuver is zero”.
Who will be able to convince the best ten days before the election? An Ifop-Fiducial poll for LCI, Le Figaro and Sud Radio noted on Thursday a slight erosion of the RN and its allies to 34% of voting intentions in the first round, ahead of the left (29%) and the presidential camp (22%). , the latter benefiting from a small increase over a few days.
One thing is certain, the vote will take place: the Constitutional Council on Thursday rejected ten appeals which contested the decree convening voters, judging the deadlines to be consistent with the fundamental law.
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