FRENCH ELECTIONS: ‘VICTORY HAS NEVER BEEN SO NEAR’, FAR-RIGHT LE PEN SAYS

Fri 15 April 2022:

The election campaign in France is heating up, with incumbent President Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen giving each other tough competition.

“Victory has never been so near,” Le Pen said at a big event in the southern city of Avignon on Thursday, addressing approximately 4,000 supporters.

Taking aim at her contender Macron, she said that he was “not the man of a new era but the last avatar of a system that has run its course”, adding that in her opinion, it is time to put an end to a system that “has run out of breath.”

Centrist leader Macron and Le Pen finished first and second respectively in the first phase of elections on April 10th. Third in the race was hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon. They now face a run-off vote on April 24th.

Before that, on April 20, the two will meet for a live debate, which will be carried live on French television, a critical event in the campaign’s last phase.

Seeking to reach out to the left-wing voters, Le Pen during her Thursday rally urged France to defeat elitism and oligarchy in the elections geared to take place this month.

Her comments come after the incumbent President received public support for his predecessor Francois Hollande. A socialist, Hollande urged people to back Macron in round two, alleging that Le Pen “was putting our principles into doubt”.

Speaking to TF1 Television, he explained that he wants the French to vote for the incumbent “for the sake of the cohesion of France” and its “European future”.

Macron also has the backing of right-wing former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

“The popular bloc will come face-to-face with the elitist bloc,” Le Pen said, describing the April 24 run-off as a battle between the people and the oligarchy.

Macron has a tiny edge over Le Pen, according to phase one results. According to French AFP report, an Opinonway survey issued on Wednesday revealed that Macron has 53% support while Le Pen has 47%.

Even a narrow margin is too close for comfort for Macron supporters, who won roughly 66% of the vote in the 2017 run-off election against Le Pen.

Islamophobia

Historically, Muslims in France have been subjected to displays of xenophobia and hatred, from French people who hold conservative views on religion and diversity. On top of that, the government has enacted Islamophobic laws against its citizens of Muslim faith, like the 2004 law on the ban of the niqab and burka in all schools and public spaces.

According to the law, any case of infringement will result in a €150 fine.

The far-right politician Marine Le Pen has announced that if elected president, she would make wearing the hijab in all public spaces in France illegal. It is important to note that no European country has adopted such a law. During her interview with France Inter on April 12, she confirmed her intentions to ban the hijab in all public spaces.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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