Macron debate – Le Pen: two candidates who capitalize on distinct themes

The first focused his campaign on public finances, the environment, the war in Ukraine; The second on immigration and purchasing power. Can the televised debate offer a resonance fund to themes that will increase voice reserves?

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The campaign of between-two-tours in a presidential electoral system – where one chooses in the first round and the cards of the political competition are eliminated in the second – rebate. While, before the first round, the candidates tried to mark their differences from their competitors, they must, on the contrary, in the second round, to give rise to the least possible opposition in voters so as not to alienate the voices. They need.

Can the televised debate of Wednesday, April 20 offer a resonance fund to the themes that will allow Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron to win these reserves of voice? And are they, one and the other, credible on these new campaign themes?

Much has been said about the purchasing power that would crush the election campaign. In fact, 57% of respondents put him at the top of their priorities. Among Marine Le Pen supports, they are 65% to declare purchasing power as the main issue, compared to only 49% for the Emmanuel Macron’s electorate. Some can see the extension of a contrasting sociological profile between these two electorates. The frontier candidate would vote the modest social classes and poor workers while the President of the Republic will appeal to retirees and favored categories. In reality, things are more complex than it seems.

The question of purchasing power does not necessarily mean, in the electorate of M Me Le Pen, an expectation of a more redistributive State to correct inequalities. To the question of whether it is necessary to increase or reduce public spending on social aids at the most modest households, 50% of the supports of M me Le Pen favors less than expenses against 33% for the electors of the Head of State. It is therefore two logic that compete on the grounds of purchasing power: a more equitropic vision (for individual profit) of social justice at Marine Le Pen against a more sociotropic perspective (for collective profit) at Emmanuel Macron. It is not certain that it is exceeded by the first when they discuss this subject during the televised debate on Wednesday, April 20th.

The war in Ukraine, major challenge

Second theme that came to interfere in the campaign of between-tours: the ecological question. Again, the two candidates use different strategies without doubt inspired by the positioning of their electorates. Not only does the National Rally (NR) candidate gathers only 12% of voters considering that the environmental issue is a major concern (compared to 36% for M.Macron), but the realization in terms of budgetary means radically opposes the candidates . They are 68% at Emmanuel Macron to support an increase in expenses to “fight against global warming” against 43% at Marine Le Pen. These are even 22% promoting a drop in expenses in this area.

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/Media reports.