Ukraine, security but above all immigration… The head of the National Rally list, Jordan Bardella, big favorite in the polls, and his Macronist competitor, Valérie Hayer, went blow for blow, Thursday May 2, during their first face-to-face face of the European campaign.
“You have a thousand facets Mr. Bardella, but in the end, only one face: that of an impostor,” attacked the head of the Renaissance list, which acts as to challenge, with only 17% of voting intentions, and in his rearview mirror the Socialist candidate Raphaël Glucksmann (14%).
After having started by ironically saluting the “courage” of his opponent for having “come forward as a candidate when no one wanted to wear the colors of Emmanuel Macron in these European elections”, Jordan Bardella accused Valérie Hayer of “playing games” with the war in Ukraine.
The president of the RN, who is leading the polls with more than 30% of voting intentions, criticized the head of the Renaissance list for going to Ukraine at the end of March to “have his photo taken” and then broadcast photos on social networks.
The Renaissance candidate, who needs to make up for a lack of notoriety compared to her 28-year-old opponent who is more experienced in this type of exercise, responded by assuring that “the interest of the French and Europeans is not only Russia is winning this war”, reiterating the accusation against the RN of being the “transmission belt of the Kremlin”.
Faced with these attacks, Jordan Bardella pointed out the financing of the Renaissance campaign by a “European political party called ALDE (Alliance of Democrats and Liberals for Europe)” and which, he -he accused, would be financed by large American groups such as “Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook”.
In 2019, ALDE renounced corporate funding in the wake of previous European elections and similar accusations from the far right.
“The elephant in the living room”
The head of the Macronist list attacked his rival for his “duplicity”. Attacking his absenteeism in the European Parliament since his election 5 years ago, she estimated that the head of the RN list “says what he does not vote for and does not vote for what he says”.
The two candidates also clashed over security issues, returning in particular to the death of young Matisse, killed on April 27 in Châteauroux by a 15-year-old minor. Valérie Hayer denounced the “indignity” of the RN which “systematically exploits tragedies to make political profit”.
Jordan Bardella, for his part, estimated that “immigration has become the worst fuel for street violence and insecurity in our country”. “I feel like there’s an elephant in the living room and you’re the only one who doesn’t see it,” he continued.
A first big confrontation
Combative throughout this game, Valérie Hayer was passing a sort of test for this first major confrontation in the run-up to the European elections on June 9. His opponent, better known and experienced in the exercise, for his part hopes for an upcoming confrontation, on a date not yet fixed, with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
“Yes, there is a problem of irregular immigration,” admitted Valérie Hayer. But there are asylum seekers who are entitled to protection. These are our European values,” she said, denouncing “the simplistic solutions of the populists.” “Try us!”, launched Jordan Bardella, placing the debate back in the realm of national politics. He promised that the RN “will not have a hand that shakes when we are in power”, whether it is a question of “restoring order in the country” or “drastic immigration control”.
On the occupation of universities by students mobilized for Gaza, the two candidates agreed on their desire not to import the struggles of American universities into France and to fight against anti-Semitism.
This prime time debate was to allow the outgoing MEP, who leads the centrist Renew group in the European Parliament, to put forward her arguments against her main rival. And to try to relaunch a campaign currently without momentum, including in the President of the Republic’s own electorate.