Macron, Le Pen clash on euro, terror

Paris, May 4 

Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron clashed over their vision of France’s future, the euro and ways of fighting terrorism in an ill-tempered televised debate on Wednesday before Sunday’s run-off vote for the presidency.

The two went into the debate with opinion polls showing Macron, 39, with a strong lead of 20 percentage points over the National Front’s Le Pen, 48, in what is widely seen as France’s most important election in decades.

For Le Pen, the two-and-a-half hour debate, watched by millions, was a last major chance to persuade voters of the merits of her programme which includes cracking down on illegal immigration, ditching the euro single currency and holding a referendum on EU membership.

However, 63 per cent of viewers found Macron more convincing than Le Pen in the debate, according to a snap opinion poll, reinforcing his status as favourite to win the Elysee on Sunday.

In angry exchanges, Le Pen played up Macron’s background as a former investment banker and economy minister, painting him as heir to the outgoing unpopular Socialist government and as the “candidate of globalisation gone wild.”

He savaged her flagship policy of abandoning the euro, calling it a fatal plan that would unleash a currency war, and he accused her of failing to offer solutions to France’s economic problems such as chronic unemployment.

The barbs at times were personal. Macron called Le Pen a “parasite” and a liar, and Le Pen labelled him a “smirking banker” and - in a reference to his youthful looks - said: “You are young on the outside, but old on the inside”.

In a final put-down, when Le Pen attempted to interrupt his summing-up, Macron told Le Pen: “You stay on TV. I want to be president of the country.”

Le Pen accused Macron of being complacent in confronting Islamist fundamentalism. “You have no plan (on security) but you are indulgent with Islamist fundamentalism,” she said.

Macron retorted that terrorism would be his priority if he is elected and accused Le Pen of offering false solutions. “I will lead a fight against Islamist terrorism at every level. But what they are wanting, the trap they are holding out for us, is the one that you offer - civil war,” he said. — Reuters

Opposing visions

• The two candidates, seated opposite one another at a table in the television studios, offered diametrically opposed visions for France
• Emmanuel Macron calls for liberal reforms to kickstart the French economy, while Marine Le Pen would adopt protectionist trade measures to defend French jobs
• The duel was billed as a confrontation between Macron’s call for openness and pro-market reforms and Le Pen’s France- first nationalism
• Le Pen branded him “the candidate of the elite” and the “darling of the system”. Macron responded by describing her scion of the National Front as “the heir of a system which has prospered from the fury of the French people for decades”
• Macron and Le Pen finished top of the 11 candidates who contested the first round of the election on April 23. Macron finished only three points ahead of Le Pen in the first round