The first major debate of these early legislative elections: Gabriel Attal, Jordan Bardella and Manuel Bompard face each other this Tuesday evening, from 8:45 p.m., on the TF1 set in the home stretch of this lightning campaign. It is a priori Jordan Bardella who has the most to lose during this evening in “prime time”. After its success in the European elections, the RN dominates the polls in the first round, and can cherish the ambition of accession to historic power. He is ahead of the left-wing New Popular Front coalition and the presidential camp.
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Bompard to Attal: “You are poorly placed to give economic lessons given your record on this subject”
On taxes, Gabriel Attal once again hammered home his camp’s “golden rule”: “no increase in French taxes”, recalling on the contrary measures put in place in 2017, such as the abolition of the tax. housing or audiovisual royalty.
The representative of the New Popular Front, Manuel Bompard, recalled his proposal: “more tax brackets for more progressivity”. “92% of French people will pay less taxes,” he assures, explaining that the current government has given “gifts to the richest”. The LFI manager attacks Gabriel Attal: “You are poorly placed to give economic lessons given your record on this subject.”
Finally, Jordan Bardella assured that he will not increase taxes and that he will be “the Prime Minister of fiscal peace”. The president of the National Rally reiterated his proposal to want to “implement an audit of the State accounts”, but also to want to “exempt income tax for young people under 30”.
Pensions: Bompard promises to repeal the 2023 reform
“We are going to repeal Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform and, before 2027, table a bill to reduce the retirement age to 60” suggests Manuel Bompard (LFI).
Jordan Bardella proposes, for his part, in the event of victory for the RN, to allow those who started working at 20 to retire at 60, “from the fall”.
Attal defends pension reform
“I say it here: those who promise you the moon, who tell you that they will postpone retirement until 60, this is a 40 billion euro project which is not financed. to finance it”, attacks Gabriel Attal, while the new Popular Front wishes to return to the 2023 pension reform.
“Give us an economics lesson!”
This subject of purchasing power has caused several tensions between the three representatives of the blocks leading in the polls: “You are a social scam”, notably castigated Jordan Bardella targeting Manuel Bompard, the latter explaining that the National Rally has “abandoned all of his promises. On the desire of the National Rally to lower VAT to 5.5% on energy, Jordan Bardella indicated that this measure would cost 12 billion euros… compared to 17 billion euros, according to Gabriel Attal. “Give us a lesson in economics! We are here to drink your words, but when we have a balance sheet of 1,000 billion in debt, we need a lot more humility,” replied the president of the National Rally.
Purchasing power: the proposals of Bardella, Attal and Bompard
First theme of this debate: the question of purchasing power. Jordan Bardella defended his camp’s flagship measure, with the reduction in VAT from 20% to 5.5% on energy, gas, fuel oil and fuel. But more on basic necessities, while this measure appeared in the RN program in 2022. “The budgetary situation today is almost bankrupt” justified the president of the RN, assuring that he wanted to “return to budgetary reason “.
Faced with these attacks, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal declared: “There are two axes in our project: earn more and spend less”, wanting to implement a revaluation of pensions based on inflation and a 15% reduction on the electricity bill next winter. Finally, Manuel Bompard defended the proposals of the New Popular Front, in particular the blocking of prices for basic necessities or the establishment of a minimum wage of €1,600. “The French have seen the biggest drop in purchasing power in the last 40 years,” assured the rebellious MP.
Attal promises a 15% reduction in electricity bills
“I want us to earn more and spend less. I want to release salary increases. We are proposing to review the reduction in charges. Spending less means a 15% reduction in the electricity bill from winter next”, says Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
Bardella: “A budgetary situation of near bankruptcy”
Jordan Bardella depicts “a budgetary situation of near bankruptcy” in France. “I want to return to budgetary reason. And this state of mind with which I want to approach economic questions leads me to prioritize,” declares the leader of the RN.
The three “white cards”
To begin the debate, the three political leaders are each invited to present their “carte blanche” with a photo. Manuel Bompard and Jordan Bardella highlight the question of purchasing power. “We will cancel Emmanuel Macron’s retirement at 65 from July,” warns Manuel Bompard (LFI)
Jordan Bardella assures, for his part, that he will be the “Prime Minister of purchasing power” in the event of a victory for the National Rally.
For his part, Gabriel Attal wants to make school a “priority”. The Prime Minister defends “a school of fundamental knowledge where secularism is guaranteed”.
Attal on the front line
Since the campaign debate, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has tried to position himself as the main bulwark for the flame party, to the detriment of the left.
In an interview given to Figarothis Tuesday, the leader of the Macronist campaign castigates the “pincer” between LFI and the RN who “feed” each other, pointing out the “risk of a great tearing of the country, with tensions and violence as a result “.
Bardella on the defensive
Jordan Bardella held a long press conference on Monday morning to try to dot the “i”s about his program after a week of uncertainty during which the Lepenist camp had seemed to backtrack on several of its flagship measures, first place the repeal of the pension reform.
Bompard, Mélenchon’s faithful right-hand man
Before the debate, Jordan Bardella and Gabriel Attal demanded the presence on the set of Jean-Luc Mélenchon rather than Manuel Bompard. They believe that the former presidential candidate is the contender for Matignon within the New Popular Front, deliberately pressing on a fault line on the left. Because the other political forces in the left-wing coalition are all calling for a “consensus” candidate and the ostracizing of the Insoumis, which they consider too “divisive”.
Often relegated to the status of eternal man in the shadow of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the national coordinator of La France insoumise, Manuel Bompard, challenges Jordan Bardella and Gabriel Attal this Tuesday evening in a debate, the opportunity to assume his status as leader of one of the main opposition parties.
LR absent from the debate
The Council of State rejected this Tuesday LR’s request to participate in the televised debate on TF1. The summary judge of the Council of State rejected the request of the right-wing party, which remained hostile to the alliance made by its president Eric Ciotti with the RN, which considered his absence to be “highly detrimental” to this televised debate, and did not had not won his case with Arcom last Friday.