This The main concern of the French, according to all opinion polls. lack purchasing power It is at the center of the debate in the French presidential campaign, which the president will face in the second round on Sunday. Emmanuel Macron and the far-right Marine Le Pen. After endless discussions about immigration, Islam and insecurity, in this race to the Elysee, the social problem prevailed. A competition marked by the current crisis prices Energyhighlighted by war in ukraine.
The economy is a pillar for Macron’s candidacy, but it is less solid than it seems. The outgoing president boasts of good macroeconomic data. This French GDP grew by 7% last year (down 8% in 2020) and unemployment fell to 7.4%. “France is doing well,” say the Macronists.
The great success of Macron’s tenure, decrease in unemployment“, emphasizes journalist François-Xavier Bourmaud, great political correspondent Le Figaro and the author of the book ‘Macron, l’invité surprise’ in his statements to ‘El Periódico de Catalunya’, a media belonging to the same publishing group as this newspaper. The current government strongly emphasizes this 2% decrease compared to the situation in 2017 after the tenure of the socialist François Hollande. In other words, the rate of the unemployed was 9.6%. “France had a huge unemployment problem, and this problem has been partially resolved in the last five years,” Bourmaud said.
Macron examines pension reform
Despite this improvement in unemployment, all is not well in Macron’s economic balance. As the ‘yellow vests’ revolt at the end of 2018 already reflected, the main focus of the unrest in France was the working but a Difficulty getting to the end of the month. Truck drivers, supermarket cashiers, waiters, teachers, nurses, paramedics… List of low paying occupations in a country where life is very expensive and life is very expensive. Half of the population earns less than 2,000 euros per month. Their situation worsened with the current 4.5% inflation in March.
The struggle between Macron and Le Pen is partly a rivalry to seduce these popular voters. After a minimalist campaign before the first round, the centrist leader has multiplied his media outings and interviews after taking first place on April 10. 27% of the vote. In his speeches, he tried to clarify some of his most controversial proposals, such as: aging pension up to 65 years (after 42 or 43 years of contributing). Now, it has opened the door to extend it from the current 62 years to 64 years. Even organize a referendum on this reform, a promise perceived with some disbelief.
The Macronist Executive also highlights: 30,000 million euros spent in the last six months to deal with the energy price crisis. For example, to reduce a fuel price subsidy by 18 cents per liter. He also criticizes the ultra Le Pen’s simple but selectively effective measures. “Reducing VAT to 0% (…) on the prices of products whose VAT has already been reduced makes people fools,” Macron said. National Regrouping (RN, far-right) promises to abolish VAT in a hundred basic needs.
People’s candidate Le Pen?
“The president is unaware that there are millions of French people arriving at the end of the month with less than 5 euros in their current account,” Le Pen said. Leveraging his own rival, the centrist leader presented a clearly right-fixed program on March 17, thereby restoring his reputation as “president of the rich” – the ultra-candidate portraying himself as a (false) candidate throughout this campaign. defender of the common people. While this was reflected in 32% of the votes he won among French people earning less than 1,000 euros a month – for a national average of 23% – Macron had the support of only 14% of this segment of the population.
The ultra-leader does not advocate a strictly left-wing program on economic issues, but has the advantage of suggesting simple and effective measures in the face of the current suffering over purchasing power. In addition to removing VAT for a hundred products, reduce to 5.5% in energy state. In this way, the leaders of the RN will persistently return “10,000 million to the French”. His opposition to extending the retirement age by more than 62 years and cutting benefits for the unemployed also earned RN a party label. “social-populist”. Or rather, a supporter. “chauvinist welfare state”because it offers to abolish all aid to foreigners.
Despite this reputation, nurtured by the same debater Eric Zemmour, For those who branded Le Pen a “Trotskyist”, the reality of his measures is different. In fact, the leader of the far right advocates a conservative economic program. I just don’t know Against raising the minimum wage, but also offers a reduction of 10,000 million in taxes on companies. In this sense, Le Pen and Macron seem like twin brothers.
France’s president will win the second round on Sunday, according to recent polls with 55.5% versus 44.5% of the ultra candidate. Le Pen would receive the support of less than 20% of the voters in the first round. Jean-Luc Melenchon (socioecologist), whose voters (22%) represent an enviable treasure. Despite his simple suggestions, the Ultra candidate does not receive significant support from the left. Nor by those who are concerned about a lack of purchasing power.