D-4 before the first round of the presidential election and nothing too hectic… Le Figaro summarizes the programs of the 12 candidates. “ Very classic projects, point to the newspaper, more or less detailed catalogs of sectoral measures. Apart from purchasing power, questions of national identity, work and anxieties linked to the war in Ukraine, few themes have really broken the sound barrier. »
Comment of Figaro : “ whether we like it or not, this campaign does not catch on. Pollsters even expect a record abstention rate this Sunday. This could exceed in the first round the level of 2002, which had been 28.4%. »
“Always talk, we don’t believe you anymore”
So carry on Le Figaro“ the first reason for this lack of enthusiasm undoubtedly comes from the growing mistrust of voters. Especially among young people. By dint of making promises that they do not keep or that they know they cannot keep, politicians have lost part of public opinion, which tells them: ‘Talk always, we don’t believe you anymore’. The rejection is such that she sometimes decides to express her choices or her anger other than at the ballot box. The second reason for disinterest, relief Le Figaro, perhaps lies in the low supply this year. The projects, which rarely escape the catalogs of indigestible proposals, do not always shine by their coherence. As for those who wear them, they haven’t found, it seems, the recipe for this alchemy which suddenly brings together a man or a woman and the people… »
” An ugly end to the campaign “, adds Opinion : “ evaded, superficial, narrow, this campaign was already announced as one of the worst missed appointments of the Fifth Republic. In the home stretch, his mediocrity is confirmed (…). »
The far-right in ambush
In any case, be careful, warn Free Charentenothing is decided yet: Emmanuel Macron is still safe from a cataclysm in the first round. But it is possible to see Marine Le Pen take the lead. Above all, never has a representative of the far right been so high in the voting intentions for a second round. (…) A third of voters are ready to vote for the extreme right in the first round. One in two could make it to the second. This is also part of Emmanuel Macron’s balance sheet, still points to the Charente daily. It remains to be seen to what extent this can backfire. »
Ukraine: toughen the sanctions!
Also on the front page, Ukraine…” The United States releases new aid and plans other sanctions against Moscow “, notes Le Parisien. For its part, ” Europe is preparing a new package of sanctions, which could affect coal, oil and banks. »
However, we must go further, gets annoyed Release : “ the executions of civilians, like those in Boutcha, show that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and that we must stop all trade with him, even if the European Union must suffer from it. (…) To give an idea of the current crazy situation, can you imagine, in June 1941, the United States, a non-belligerent power, paying Hitler’s Germany 800 million dollars every day? Yet this is exactly what the European Union is doing, with the notable exception of the Baltic countries, by refusing to decree an immediate embargo on Russian gas, oil and coal. Faced with the horror of the Russian invasion, it is time to drive another nail, perhaps the last, into Putin’s coffin. »
Russia: dissension and amazement…
Finally, to read this column by Marie Mendras in The world. This Russia specialist describes “ a drifting Russian political power, with the rise of major dissensions at the top of power, a number one, Vladimir Putin, isolated, a divided clan and a middle class in a state of stupefaction. (…) The mad war announces the fracture of the dictatorship, writes Marie Mendras. A key factor in the outcome of the conflict is the behavior of the elites, aware of the dangers. Dissensions and defections are numerous. The defense minister was dismissed, as well as FSB officials. A deadly climate of purge has set in. Senior officers have retired. Several journalists refuse to spread lies and fabricated photographs. A communist deputy gave up her seat in the Duma to rebel against the war. Music and entertainment stars, writers, intellectuals and journalists have gone into exile and are calling for rebellion. »
And as for the population, continues Marie Mendras, “ the Russians are not servile but flabbergasted. They cannot have an opinion, much less express it freely. Russian society is sinking into fear and doubt and no longer expects the Kremlin to return to a better life. »