Paris (AFP) – French presidential frontrunner Emmanuel Macron was accused Tuesday of resting on his laurels after winning the first round of the election, with even President Francois Hollande apparently admonishing him for not upping his game against the far right’s Marine Le Pen.
“We need to be extremely serious and mobilised, and not to think it’s a done deal, because a vote is earned, it’s fought for,” said Hollande, who on Monday had urged voters to back Macron and called Le Pen a “risk” for France.
At 39, the pro-EU former banker is favourite to become France’s youngest-ever president when he goes head-to-head with Le Pen, 48, in a May 7 runoff.
After winning Sunday’s contest with 24.1 percent to Le Pen’s 21.3 percent, Macron gave an exuberant victory speech followed by a high-profile celebration at a famous Paris bistrot, drawing fire from some.
Socialist Party boss Jean-Christophe Cambadelis told French radio: “He was smug. He wrongly thought that it was a done deal. It’s not a done deal.”
Le Pen herself joined the bashing, saying “all French people saw that he had the feeling he’d already won. It’s not very respectful of democracy, of the voters”.
Reprising her depiction of Macron as a product of the elite, she said he had celebrated with the “arrogant caste that thinks… it can do anything it wants with the country.”
– Turbo-charged –
Since securing her berth in the runoff, Le Pen has turbo-charged her campaign with a string of appearances and statements, leaving her opponent on the back foot.
At the crack of dawn on Tuesday she was at the sprawling Rungis food market outside Paris, taking aim at what she said was Macron’s desire for “total deregulation, total opening up, total free trade”.
In contrast, her opponent has huddled in strategy meetings over June legislative elections that will determine the shape of a future Macron government.
Polls suggest that Macron will trounce Le Pen in the runoff with a margin of some 20 points.
But after the political shocks of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump’s unlikely ascent to the White House, analysts say a late surge by Le Pen is still possible.
Macron has his work cut out to give people “positive reasons” to vote for him, said Guillaume Goubert, editor of the daily La Croix, noting that many voters had chosen him in the first round out of a desire to block other candidates rather than out of any real fervour.
Le Pen says she is the only candidate for change in a deeply divided country burdened by high unemployment and inequality.
“Nothing in either Mr Macron’s policies or his behaviour suggests the slightest proof of his love for France,” she said on Monday. “We are going to win.”
The candidate had a mixed reception at Rungis, where she drew boos — and ducked a flying tomato — over a pledge to deport all illegal immigrants.
“We’re workers too. We pay our taxes,” a fruit vendor shouted. “It’s a disgrace,” another said repeatedly.
Also Monday, Le Pen said she was quitting temporarily as head of her National Front (FN) party in order to concentrate on the campaign.
The move was seen as largely symbolic but one that would loosen her association with the FN, the party founded by Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie, notorious for anti-Semitic and xenophobic remarks.
– Homage to slain policeman –
Earlier Tuesday, the rival candidates attended a sombre ceremony honouring a policeman killed on the Champs-Elysees last week.
Macron and Le Pen stood grim-faced among hundreds of mourners as Xavier Jugele’s gay partner delivered a moving eulogy to the 37-year-old officer, whose shooting was claimed by the Islamic State group.
“I suffer without hatred,” Etienne Cardiles said at the ceremony led by Hollande at Paris police headquarters.
Cardiles was echoing the sentiment of the husband of a victim of the November 2015 jihadist attack on Paris’s Bataclan concert hall who said to the perpetrators: “You won’t have my hatred.”
Macron and Le Pen differ starkly on how to protect France, still reeling from a string of jihadist attacks since 2015 that has claimed more than 230 lives.
Le Pen has called for France to take back control of its borders from the European Union and deport all foreigners on a terror watchlist, accusing Macron of being soft on terrorism.
Macron has urged voters not to “give in to fear” and vowed to step up security cooperation with EU partners.
Analysts say that alongside security, the economy will likely dominate a critical TV debate between the two candidates on May 3.
burs-gd/ri
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.