The world keeps the synopsis of the campaign for the presidential election of 2022: a daily update, published at 7 p.m., looks back on the political events of the past day and discusses the appointments to come.
News of the day: Emmanuel Macron should end the false suspense by announcing his candidacy
Thirty-eight days before the first round of the presidential election, the false suspense should end. The outgoing president, Emmanuel Macron, should formalize his candidacy for a second term at 8:30 p.m. in a “letter to the French” posted online this Thursday evening and published on Friday March 4 in the regional daily press.
His campaign strategy? Do everything to install ” the evidence “ of his candidacy. As if a second five-year lease at the Elysée should only be a ” extension “ from the first. Only the style of his announcement and his campaign entry program have been upset by the war waged by Russia in Ukraine in recent weeks. No more question of holding a first meeting in Marseille on March 5, as initially planned, or of focusing the debate on subjects such as health or education. Make way for sobriety, with questions of European sovereignty and defense at the heart of the debates.
After the crisis of “yellow vests” and then the Covid-19 pandemic, the outgoing President of the Republic is positioning himself as a captain in stormy weather: “I have and will have only one compass: to protect you”he said Wednesday evening during a speech from the Elysee Palace entirely devoted to Ukraine.
Alex Reed of the “13 hours” of TF1 Thursday, the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, clarified the contours of the “resilience plan” wanted by Emmanuel Macron to mitigate the economic and social consequences of the war in Ukraine and the severe sanctions imposed on Russia. According to Jean Castex, particular attention will be paid to “aeronautical construction, agriculture, air transport, space, automotive industry”.
The Head of State will have waited until the last moment to formalize his candidacy, which applicants to the Elysée must formalize with the Constitutional Council before Friday 6 p.m. Eleven candidates have already obtained the 500 signatures of elected officials necessary to be able to present themselves, subject to the publication of the official list on Monday March 7 by the President of the Constitutional Council, Laurent Fabius.
A twelfth and final candidate might be added on Friday: Philippe Poutou. The candidate of the New Anti-Capitalist Party now has 439 elected sponsorships, 61 from the required threshold.
The photo: Yannick Jadot meeting the agricultural world
The environmental candidate was visiting the International Agricultural Show for five hours on Thursday morning. The measures for the agricultural world represent an important part of the program of the MEP, who wants in particular “reinstalling farmers in the countryside, with decent incomes” and proposes the total withdrawal of pesticides by 2030 and a 0% VAT on organic products.
For him, « biological agriculture must be at the heart of agricultural policy and CAP money [politique agricole commune] must be used for the transition of farms to organic”. He also wants to ban pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
The proposal: Valérie Pécresse wants to increase the defense budget
She wants more for the defense. Valérie Pécresse, candidate for the Les Républicains party, proposed Thursday to increase the defense budget beyond 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 65 billion euros in 2030. “Respect for the LPM [loi de programmation militaire] makes it possible to reach a budget of 50 billion euros in 2025. I want to increase this budget to 65 billion in 2030, well beyond 2% of GDP, which means, in total, an additional effort of 108 billion”she said.
The current budget of the Ministry of the Armed Forces must increase once more in 2022, to 40.9 billion euros (+ 4.3%), in accordance with the military programming law 2019-2025, which provides for a significant increase in the budget of the defense following years of decline. But the largest increases (+ 3 billion per year) are planned from 2023.
« The war in Ukraine reminds us that peace should never be taken for granted, even in Europe”, said the right-wing candidate in a serious tone during a press conference. She also warned once morest “chin banging policy”indirectly criticizing the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire.
“When we talk regarding atomic weapons by evoking the exclusion of Russia from the Swift system, or economic warfare which aims to destroy the Russian economy, I say, beware! Let’s avoid postures that lead to escalation,” said Valérie Pécresse once more.
In the archives of “Le Monde”: in 1981, the announcement of the candidacy of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing relaunched the electoral campaign
How to run for a new term at the Elysée following seven years in power? If Emmanuel Macron had two years less than his predecessor Valéry Giscard d’Estaing to think regarding it, the relationship between the two Presidents of the Republic is troubling.
On the “one” of World dated March 3, 1981, fifty-four days from the first round, we learn that “Mr. Giscard d’Estaing was to make public, Monday, March 2, at 7 p.m., a declaration specifying his intentions as to his candidacy for the presidential election”. “In the hours preceding this initiative, no one doubted that the Head of State would seek a new mandate”writes journalist Noël-Jean Bergeroux.
“At the Elysée, we had maintained the mystery on the moment of this intervention until Monday morning. However, before this date, we had not failed to evoke the “memory” of 1965 “, can we still read. It was in fact through a statement broadcast from the presidential palace that General de Gaulle, on November 4, 1965, had announced that he would stand for the presidential election in December. M. Giscard d’Estaing seemed bound to follow this example.
“Campaign officials wanted Mr. Giscard d’Estaing to be able to postpone his statement in case something spectacular happened, either making it untimely in the immediate future or overshadowing it”writes Noël-Jean Bergeroux, before concluding: “For some time now, we felt that the Head of State wanted to enter the fray and face his opponents. All the actors are now in place. »
Agenda for Friday, March 4:
Displacements. Eric Zemmour, candidate for Reconquête!, is going to the Paris Agricultural Show from 8:30 a.m. Yannick Jadot, environmental candidate for the presidential election, will speak in Nancy at 6 p.m. the “tour of possibilities”.
Reminder for candidates. Before the filing of sponsorships for the candidates for the presidential election which ends at 6 p.m., the constitutionalist Philippe Blacher answers your questions on the system of sponsorships from 2 p.m. A Laurent Fabius, President of the Constitutional Council, will announce the final list of candidates on Monday 7 March.
Reminder for citizens. It is no longer possible to register on the electoral lists online since Wednesday, but still possible – until this evening – to go to the town hall. After this date, it will be too late. No recourse or claim will be possible for non-registered voters – between 3 and 5 million voters – and incorrectly registered voters.
