This Thursday the second televised debate took place on France 2 in anticipation of the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, the president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella and the First Secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure opposed their views a few days before the first round of voting. 20 Minutes takes stock of the essential moments for you.
Bardella adobe Ciotti
In the event of an absolute majority, Jordan Bardella sees himself as Prime Minister. And he already has names in mind for his government, including that of Éric Ciotti. He confirmed that the leader of the Republicans, whom his party is trying to exclude, “will be called upon to take on important responsibilities”. On the side of the New Popular Front, Olivier Faure was more sibylline, assuring that the Prime Minister will be “neither rebellious, nor ecologist, nor socialist, nor communist” but “from” the alliance.
Attal promises referendums
At the start of this debate, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who has held the post since the beginning of the year, promised to “govern differently”. He proposed “a referendum every year on a subject of importance to the French.” He also criticized his predecessor, particularly by mentioning the “use of Article 49.3” which “could give an impression of brutalization.”
Bardella positions itself on Ukraine
The president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, assured Thursday that he would not let “Russian imperialism absorb an allied state like Ukraine” while repeating that he would refuse the sending of French soldiers to Ukrainian soil. he became Prime Minister following the legislative elections.
“My position is very simple on this conflict (…) It has never changed. It is that of support for Ukraine and to avoid an escalation with Russia which is, I remind you, a nuclear power,” declared the far-right leader.
Debate around the role of the president in the event of cohabitation
Asked about the comments of Marine Le Pen who estimated the day before that the role of chief of the armed forces for the President of the Republic is reduced to an “honorary title”, Jordan Bardella, candidate for Matignon if the RN obtains an absolute majority in the The outcome of the legislative elections did not back down. “It is the Prime Minister who decides the operating budget of the armies,” he insisted.
A position that Gabriel Attal strongly denounced: “Behind the “honorary title”, there is the idea that the President of the Republic would no longer be able to make decisions,” he expressed alarm. “If the National Rally were to win this election, there would be a form of dispute between the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic to know who has the role of head of the armies,” he added.
“It is a message sent to world powers, to the whole world, which is a very serious message for the security of the French. » For Olivier Faure, Marine Le Pen’s comments show that the far right is seeking to “take precedence over institutions”. Jordan Bardella wants to “take everything,” he accused.
“Second-class French”
The question of dual nationals was raised again. The National Rally wants certain “extremely sensitive” positions to be refused to them, a measure which is causing a lot of commotion. Gabriel Attal accused him of “stigmatizing binational French people” and telling them that they “are half-French”. “You are a little slanderer,” protested Jordan Bardella, calling the Prime Minister “France’s first liar.” “You are creating second-class French people,” added Olivier Faure, accusing the far-right party of “sorting out the French”.
Bardella accused of supporting “racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic” candidates
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal accused Jordan Bardella of presenting “a hundred candidates” who had made “racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic remarks”, which the RN leader rejected outright. Citing by name several candidates nominated by the RN, Gabriel Attal also mentioned “a young son of a National Rally executive arrested for assault”, and referred to press articles.
“It’s all false, completely false,” replied Jordan Bardella, stating that “there have been counter-articles to demonstrate that it was false and [que] Release is being sued for defamation.
Faure attacks Macron over his transphobic statement
While traveling, Emmanuel Macron had mentioned an “ubiquitous” proposal to “change sex in town hall” in the program of the left alliance, an outing considered by many to be transphobic. Olivier Faure returned to the question “regretting” that Emmanuel Macron “considered that transphobia could be a subject for jokes”. “I would like all differences to be accepted (…) There are no too many French people,” he insisted.
