The French presidential election goes almost unnoticed in the Middle East, reports this Friday April 22 the Lebanese daily The Orient-The Day, as part of an overview of the region’s media.
The daily attributes this disinterest to the absence of traditional themes linked to the region – Syria, Iran and Palestine in the lead – from the presidential campaign and debate, largely eclipsed by the war in Ukraine, Europe and the “domestic concerns”.
“From Iraq to Egypt via Syria or Jordan, the presidential campaign does not thrill the crowds. It was even radio silence for these countries before the famous debate between the two rounds […]. You almost wonder if the information was relayed by the official dailies.
For political scientist Karim Émile Bitar, quoted by the French-language newspaper, “there is also to some extent the feeling that France, while still a very active player in the Levant, perhaps no longer has the same strategic influence as in the past”.
“The fact that France is perceived as no longer giving priority importance to the Palestinian question has contributed to a detachment of public opinion in the region”, he adds.
The Gulf and the Maghreb concerned
If the media of the Levant – also known as the “Middle East” – thus ensure “le service minimum” in terms of coverage and that voting in these countries only arouses interest “French-speaking elites“, according to The East-The Day, the Maghreb remains “the great concerned of the presidential”, while in the Gulf “The attention for this election is particularly visible in the Saudi, Emirati and Qatari media”.
This stems from the reinforced diplomatic and economic ties with Paris under the mandate of Emmanuel Macron and fears linked to the rise of the far right, explains the Lebanese newspaper, which quotes some Gulf media.
“For channel Al-Jazeeraif Emmanuel Macron’s project has ‘restricted the religious freedom’ of the Muslim community, that of Marine Le Pen is seen as more radical.”
The Maghreb media, particularly the Algerian ones, are all the more alarmed by a possible change in France, in particular because of “the presence of a large Algerian diaspora in France, often stigmatized by the extreme right”.
As reported L’Orient-Le Jour: “‘The story is frightening’, wrote the news site yesterday TSA [Tout sur l’Algérie] in reference to the consequences of the decisions of Marine Le Pen if the latter were to be elected. ‘A major national event’, according to the generalist daily Freedom.”