what to remember from the first debate with the seven main candidates

The European campaign saw further acceleration on Sunday May 5, with the first debate bringing together the seven main leaders. Jordan Bardella (National Rally, RN), Valérie Hayer (Renaissance), Raphaël Glucksmann (Socialist Party-Public Square), Manon Aubry (La France insoumise), Marie Toussaint (Les Ecologists), François-Xavier Bellamy (Les Républicains) and Marion Maréchal (Reconquête!) debated for more than two hours, during the program “Le Grand Jury”, co-organized by RTL, Le Figaro, M6 and Paris Première, in partnership with La Chaîne Parlementaire (LCP).

This is the first debate of this type in which Jordan Bardella is participating, after letting MEP Thierry Mariani and the former boss of Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, represent the RN, on April 10 and March 14.

War in Ukraine and European defense

Concerning the potential sending of troops to Ukraine, as mentioned several times by Emmanuel Macron, “it is obviously necessary to support [Kiev] »estimated François-Xavier Bellamy, but “with weapons and ammunition”. “What is a President of the Republic who spends his time expounding on strategic ambiguity? », he said. Valérie Hayer, Renaissance candidate, spoke of the risk of open conflict with Russia and wishes “strengthen European defense”defending the position of the head of state. “Tomorrow, if Russia wins in Ukraine, if Poland is attacked, we will also be attacked. We must not play into Russia’s hands,” said M.^me Hayer, who denounces the positionss “ambiguous » of the RN with regard to Moscow. In front of her, Jordan Bardella, explained that he wanted “support Ukraine and avoid escalation with Russia”.

From the start of the debate, most of the candidates targeted the head of the National Rally list. Marie Toussaint notably estimated that the RN candidate is “a foreign agent”. The latter also criticized the positioning of Jordan Bardella in the European Parliament, who did not “never voted in favor of freeing ourselves from Russian gas”. The presidential camp candidate judged ” ashamed “ the ” support “ of the RN to Russia, recalling that Mr. Bardella had not “never supported the convictions [du Parlement européen] against the imprisonment of the Russian opponent » Alexei Navalny, who has since died in prison. For her part, Manon Aubry attacked Jordan Bardella about his record as an MEP. “You are no longer the party with the national flame, but the party with the national laziness”she said.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas was also at the center of the debates. The LR candidate denounced the behavior of La France insoumise: “I am dismayed to see that LFI is capitalizing on the apology of terrorism. » “Isn’t a civilian death in the Gaza Strip worth a civilian death in Ukraine? »asked for the head of the LFI list.

Ecological transition, agriculture and environment

Questioned on the question of ecological transition, several candidates criticized the planned ban on the sale of new thermal cars from 2035. Thus Jordan Bardella (“a blow to the purchasing power of our fellow citizens”) or Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, who sees it as a risk for the automobile industry and a measure which “once again favors Chinese imports”. Valérie Hayer stressed that it was not a question “no telling the French tomorrow “you will no longer be able to use your thermal car””, more than “you can continue to use second-hand thermal cars”while Raphaël Glucksmann approved the development “European electric car sectors”.

Marie Toussaint highlighted the need for “lower VAT with a green and circular VAT on products that are good for health, good for the planet and good for employment”while Raphaël Glucksmann advocated a « Buy European Act [à l’image du “Buy American Act” aux Etats-Unis]which reserves public orders for European production, which also requires massive investment in green industries.. For François-Xavier Bellamy, the issue is not “how do we prevent the French from living, working, producing, but on the contrary how do we get other countries in the world out of decarbonization” (sic).

The debate quickly turned to the agricultural crisis. While Jordan Bardella and Marion Maréchal-Le Pen highlighted the excess of “ever more difficult standards and constraints for our farmers”Valérie Hayer emphasized that they were the “first victims of climate change” and that the last renegotiation of the common agricultural policy (CAP) had a triple objective of“support in the environmental transition, better income for farmers and commitment to food sovereignty”. François-Xavier Bellamy and Jordan Bardella denounced the “Farm to the Fork” strategy, adopted in October 2021, aiming, according to them, at a “agricultural decline”when Manon Aubry called for a “transformation of the agricultural model” and to the « fin [des] free trade agreements ».

Immigration challenge in Europe

For Manon Aubry, who defends a welcome ” worthy “ migrants, European migration policy is “inhumane and ineffective because it has transformed our Mediterranean Sea into an open-air cemetery”. The LFI candidate also considered that Frontex is a “an agency of death at the borders of the European Union”referring to Fabrice Leggeri, number three on the RN list, and targeted by a complaint for complicity in crimes against humanity.

For their part, Jordan Bardella and Marion Maréchal-Le Pen wish “repress” et “return” the boats. “Our country has become a social window for immigration from all over the world”lamented the RN candidate. “Your platform slogans on zero immigration are a TikTok video. This does not correspond to reality”launched Raphaël Glucksmann after Jordan Bardella’s comments. “We must put an end to hypocrisy, did he declare, because it creates chaos and indignity for human beings”he added.

While the right-wing candidates considered that there is “too much immigration in France”Marion Toussaint said “that we need immigration”. Manon Aubry then questioned the RN candidate on the reception of Ukrainian refugees in France. “I was in favor of it”he replied, but not the “Afghan refugees”evoking the murder of Matisse, 15, killed by a teenager of the same age of Afghan origin.

When asked about the concept of « remigration »recently set up by the United Kingdom, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen and Jordan Bardella both said they were in favor of “return the illegal immigrants”. “Today, there are a certain number of people who are on French territory and who have nothing to do there”she insisted.

Economic war against China

A few hours before the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping in France, Raphaël Glucksmann deplored the reproduction “the same errors” in “establishing a friendly relationship with the one who is the main sponsor of Vladimir Putin’s war” and who practices “Slavery of the Uighurs”. The candidate of the Socialist Party and Place publique called for “end of naivety” while speaking “the language of firmness” in front of the ” unfair competition “ from Beijing. François-Xavier Bellamy agreed with this by denouncing the “strategy of destruction of the European economy” by China.

Valérie Hayer (Renaissance) replied that“we also need China on a certain number of subjects such as the fight against climate change” and recalled the implementation of measures such as “the obligation of reciprocity on access to public markets”. The ecologist Marie Toussaint called for going further with a « Buy Green and European Act »a European preference for public procurement, and an extension of the carbon tax to the continent’s borders.