“We are here to convince (…) for our future project for France and Europe,” shouted Macron, when he entered the Paris La Defense Arena, huge sparklers burned and numerous government members took part in a La Ola wave.
“Our project for 2022 is solidarity and social progress,” Macron said on Saturday in front of tens of thousands of supporters in Nanterre near Paris before the first round of the election. “French people who work shouldn’t put their entire salary into filling up the tank and shopping, that’s unfair.”
From the summer, employees should be able to receive a tax-free purchasing power bonus of up to 6,000 euros, said the 44-year-old politician who is running for a second term. He also promised more money to the self-employed. His government has already put around 20 billion euros into capping electricity and gas prices.
Offer for pensioners and single parents
Macron announced further investments and improvements for the health and education systems. In the future, the minimum pension should be EUR 1,100 after full employment. Aid for single parents should be increased. After a scandal about abuses in old people’s homes, the president announced that he would hire 50,000 additional nurses and more controls. The fight against sexual abuse should be intensified.
Continued fight for a higher retirement age
In order to finance the announced strengthening of the welfare state and further tax cuts, Macron swore the French during his election campaign to raise the retirement age from 62 to 65. A social and welfare state is not possible if the state does not produce and create wealth. “We have to work more.” For the first time since the 1970s it is possible to achieve full employment in France.
Macron also made a passionate commitment to Europe. Europe is best equipped to fight the food crisis threatening the Ukraine war and to master the climate crisis. “We are proud to be European and to fly the European flag next to our national flag.” At the same time, France relies on independent politics, exchange with other countries and the formation of new alliances.
Purchasing power beats all other issues
Purchasing power has become the overarching issue in the French presidential election campaign, with education, health care and migration also being important issues. Because of his diplomatic efforts in the Ukraine war, Macron entered the election campaign late. He is clearly ahead in the polls, but his main challenger, the right Marin Le Pen, has recently caught up. A poll for the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche on Saturday saw Macron at 27 percent and Le Pen at 22 percent.