It smells bad. Pranksters threw stink balls at the back of the room, forcing the bay windows to be opened to ventilate. The public, around 250 people, took a long time to arrive at the Maison des sports et des associations de Louviers (Eure), on this morning of Saturday March 26. The slogan ” With you “ strip the posters off the walls. If it weren’t for Emmanuel Macron’s face on it, it would be like a municipal campaign.
Sébastien Lecornu, microphone under his chin, praises the action of the head of state, “at human height” and concerned about “independence” national. A woman interrupts the overseas minister, sardonically: “By selling the French jewels? » From outside comes a dull noise. That of twenty “yellow vests”, who sing and blow in fog horns.
Bruno Le Maire comes down from the platform to better embrace the room. The Minister of the Economy is surprised by the climate of sluggishness of the campaign, which sees the polls promising a comfortable re-election to Emmanuel Macron during the elections of April 10 and 24, against a backdrop of abstention and war in Ukraine. As if the French had their heads in the East, or quite simply elsewhere. “This is the most important election, and I sense a certain indifference rising…”, he worries. L’“democratic accident”which would see the candidate of the National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen, win, “can always happen”warned Sébastien Lecornu. “Don’t let this election be robbed of you! », supports Bruno Le Maire, finally raising some cheers. A woman then jumps on stage to protest against the vaccination pass. She is immediately evacuated.
Funny presidential campaign, whose apparent inanity hides deep tensions. Since the appearance of the Covid-19 epidemic in March 2020, French political life seems caught in a fog; perhaps it happened with the victory of Emmanuel Macron, in 2017. Still, the main democratic meeting of the country does not interest. The record level of abstention recorded in 2002 (28.4%), an election marked by the thunderclap of the qualification of Jean-Marie Le Pen in the second round, could again be reached, warn the opinion polls.
“The presidents follow each other and nothing happens”
“Concern”, “uncertainty” and « fatigue » : here are the first three feelings expressed by the French when polling institutes ask them about their state of mind. Gold, “when you’re tired, you want to go on vacation, not worry about politics”recognizes a former adviser to power. “There is a problem of demand, not supply. »
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