Small room, small audience, serious atmosphere.
Thus begins Emmanuel Macron's campaign.
As a deliberate choice of counter-programming after the big show meetings and big crowds of its main competitors.
Also imperative as Russia mounts its offensive in Ukraine and threatens to plunge the world into all-out conflict.
"
The campaign, I don't want to elude it
," warned Emmanuel Macron Monday morning during a meeting at his campaign headquarters with several supporters.
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In Poissy, at the former mayor of the Republicans Karl Olive, there is therefore no question of replaying the heated meetings of five years ago.
It was to a
"conversation"
with Emmanuel Macron that the inhabitants were invited.
At the entrance to the room, the letters of the campaign slogan
"Avec vous"
indicate that it is indeed the candidate who is speaking this evening.
But behind the chairs arranged in a circle, French and European flags indicate that the president will also have a say.
“
Mr. President, Mr. Candidate
,” Karl Olive launches to him to welcome him after a long round of applause.
Emmanuel Macron does not evade.
"
I will be president during these days and these weeks as much as I have to but I will be a candidate whenever I can
, ”he explains before sketching the beginning of his campaign speech.
Four pacts
“
The strength of France is neither in shrinkage nor in catastrophism
, he assures.
There are results that are there, on unemployment, on learning… There are efforts that need to be continued, on the environment, housing… And then we have challenges that are completely shaking up our country.
We have seen it with the pandemic and of course the war
.”
It is also on this last subject that Emmanuel Macron is arrested from the start of the evening and twice.
So he explains.
Traces the history of dialogue with Russia since the beginning of his mandate.
Recall the regular discussions with Berlin and Moscow on the Minsk agreements, the very ones that Vladimir Putin tore up by recognizing the Donbass.
"
The discussion is difficult with President Putin
, he admits.
I am lucid.
In the short term, it is rather the war that will continue.
“We have to campaign well, however.
So Emmanuel Macron begins to deploy his program.
It revolves around four pacts.
I want to put basic knowledge, in particular mathematics, back into the common core
Emmanuel Macron
European first.
Here again, the war in Ukraine appears in the background since it is a question of strengthening the sovereignty of Europe, particularly in terms of defense but also energy, health or technology.
The second pact is productive.
It consists of anchoring France in full employment, relaunching its industry and placing it at the forefront of the renewable energy and nuclear sectors.
The third pact concerns relations between generations.
It is in particular there that Emmanuel Macron proposes to relaunch the pension reform but not only.
It is also a question of education, with an in-depth reform.
“
I want to put fundamental knowledge, in particular mathematics, back into the common core
,” explains the candidate.
A republican pact
Emmanuel Macron also wants to develop sport at school, based in particular on the Paris Olympics in 2024. Objective: to set up from the start of the 2022 school year half an hour of sport every day in primary school and to increase college sports hours.
“
We learn rules, we learn to respect others, the opponent, teammates and a referee.
We learn fundamentals that are sometimes easier to inculcate when it's in a sporting environment than when it's in the classroom
, ”explains Emmanuel Macron.
What is difficult is to be both president and candidate.
Even for me who defend the “at the same time”
The last pact, finally, is republican.
It is there that he deals with the question of immigration, pleading for a Republic "
which holds its borders
" but which "
at the same time holds to its values and which welcomes when asylum is in question
".
And here again is the question of the war with the exile of Ukrainian refugees.
Emmanuel Macron can try to get out of the “
heavy
” context, everything seems to bring him back to it.
Impossible to extract.
“
What is difficult is to be both president and candidate.
Even for me who defends the “at the same time”
, he recognizes during the evening.
His day on Monday illustrates this.
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In the morning at his campaign HQ to thank the elected officials who sponsored him.
Noon on LCI to denounce "
the moral and political cynicism
" of Vladimir Putin after the latter proposed humanitarian corridors to Russia for Ukrainian refugees.
And in the evening in Poissy, therefore, for a campaign rally.
A big gap to keep for another month.