Jordan Bardella (National Rally), the far-right candidate for prime minister in the French legislative elections, who leads the polls by a wide margin, survived the first televised electoral debate at the attacks from his macronist and leftist adversaries.
Subjected to harsh criticism, the young politician, architect of his party’s victory in the recent European elections that motivated the president, Emmanuel Macron, to advance the legislative elections, presented himself as “the Prime Minister of order, rigor and firmness”against two rivals who were forced to weaken him due to the advantage he has in the polls.
His adversaries were the current head of the Government, Gabriel Attal (Renacimiento), which is trying to turn around some polls that place it far below, and the spokesperson for the left-wing Popular Front alliance, Manuel Bompardwhich has some points to recover against the extreme right.
Bardella was often the target of the darts of the other two adversaries, although the accusations were in all directions, which shows how far apart the three blocs that will take up the majority of the seats in the next National Assembly are.
In the economic field, Attal accused his two adversaries of “promising the Moon” with “unrealistic” proposals made to “win a handful of votes” but which they “would have to renounce” if they came to power.
On the left he reproached him for some “senseless” tax increases which the extreme right would also have to apply if it wants to finance all its promises.
“Bardella proposes a world in which you do not pay income tax until you are 30, you retire at 60 and, in the meantime, your taxes are lowered,” ironically stated the current head of the Government, who defended the unpopular pension reform. carried out a year ago by Macron and which generated great popular discontent.
“I will not increase taxes”
“I will not increase taxes and I will be the prime minister of social peace,” said the far-right candidate, who considered that his economic program is “the only one that can end the paralysis of ‘Macronism’” and stop “the spending madness of the extreme left.”
Bompard denied that his proposal to raise the minimum wage and increase taxes on the rich will destroy jobs and wealth and gave the example of Spainwhere it has risen 30% in the last four years, a period in which 800,000 jobs have been created.
He added that “everyone who earns less than 4,000 euros net per month will pay less taxes than now,” but that “there will be more rates for the richest 8% of the population,” who “currently pay proportionally less than the middle classes.”
Friction also in the field of energy, where Bardella stated that he would end wind power in favor of nuclear and Bompard promised the opposite, while Attal assured that renewables should serve as a transition until the entry into operation of the new atomic reactors in 2035.
The main attacks on Bardella came on the territory of the immigrationwhere they did not hesitate to accuse him of being “racist” for his proposals to cut social aid to foreigners and limit their entry into the country.
Ructions over immigration
“Immigration shakes our identity, our security and the balance of our accounts,” said the far-right candidate, who reiterated his proposal for denying nationality to children of immigrants born on French soil.
“One in four French people has a foreign ancestor,” replied Bompard, who recalled that Bardella himself is of Italian origin and to whom he snapped: “Your family ancestors heard their political ancestors say what you are saying now.”
On the contrary, the spokesperson for the left considered that immigration has left “10,000 million euros annually in the last ten years” in the country’s accounts and that “instead of stigmatizing them, we should thank them.”
Attal, for his part, attacked the veto that the extreme right proposes against the people with dual nationality in certain positions in the Administration, 3.5 million, according to the current prime minister, who pointed out that “they are plagued” by this proposal.
“In the face of immigration, what have you done, Mr. Attal?” replied Bardella, who pointed out that “there is not a single Frenchman who does not fear for his safety on public roads” and who promised a “tough hand” to “reestablish the order”.
The far-right candidate, for whom the polls assure more than a third of the votes in the first round next Sunday and who does not give up on achieving an absolute majority in the second round a week later, ended his participation by appealing to “not get carried away because of the fear”.
Bompard, whose coalition has around 30% of the votes in the first round, precisely stoked the danger of “losing rights and having to abandon their land” while asking “turn the page on ‘macronism’ and avoid a racist model”.
The current head of the Government, whose party barely exceeds 20% of voting intentions, appealed to moderation and recalled that his is the only program that protects the French from tax increases, “assumed by the left and hidden by the extreme right.
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