Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen went head-to-head in a live televised debate on Wednesday evening that could change the course of the presidential election this weekend, reports The Guardian.
The much-anticipated two-and-a-half hour exchange, screened on television, radio and online from 9pm local time, began civilly with a smiling Le Pen saying she would be the president of “respect and common sense”.
Le Pen had drawn lots to speak first and opened by addressing the cost of living crisis that polls show is the number one concern for French voters. She spoke of reducing taxes permanently to give French families between €150-200 extra each month per household.
“An absolute priority for the next year will be giving back the French their money,” she said promising to reduce VAT on fuel and energy.
Macron, looking more serious, said his approach to “people’s anger about struggling to make ends meet” was to freeze prices during the cost of living crisis as an emergency measure. “This is more efficient than a drop in VAT,” he added. “And you voted against it.”
“I want something lasting, like leaving the European electricity market, not something temporary,” Le Pen said in response.
The French television station TF1, which is hosting the debate, had hoped to begin with an exchange between the candidates over the international situation, namely Ukraine, but Le Pen had vetoed this as an opening subject.
The first clash came over salaries, when Macron dismissed Le Pen’s suggestion she would increase salaries by 10%.
“The president doesn’t decide salaries, that’s down to employers,” Macron said. “You are trying to make people believe you will increase salaries by 10% and it’s not true.”
“And you are trying to make people believe you will increase bonuses,” Le Pen hit back.
With everything to win or lose, Macron, 44, had to avoid sounding arrogant and headmasterly and Le Pen, 53, had to appear calm, credible and above all moderate to win over the 40% of floating voters who did not support either in the first round 10 days ago, especially the 7.7 million who voted for the radical left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon.