They fear the result of April 24: the German heads of government Olaf Scholz, Spanish Pedro Sanchez and Portuguese Antonio Costa implicitly call to vote for Emmanuel Macron against Marine Le Pen in the second round of the French presidential election, in a column published this Thursday by the daily Le Monde.
“The choice facing the French people is crucial for France and for all of us in Europe.
It is the choice between a democratic candidate (…) and a far-right candidate, who openly sides with those who attack our freedom and our democracy”, they write without naming them, saying they hope that French citizens will choose on April 24 "a France that defends our common values".
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Scholz, Sanchez and Costa note the rise of nationalist demands, populism and the extreme right, in France as in the countries they lead, which make "Vladimir Putin an ideological and political model" and perpetuate "his attacks against minorities and diversity”.
“We must not forget this, even if these politicians are now trying to distance themselves from the Russian aggressor,” say MM.
Scholz, Sanchez and Costa.
The choice of Europe and solidarity
“In light of these elements, the second round of the French presidential election is not, for us, an election like the others.
The choice facing the French people is crucial for France and for each of us in Europe”, detail the three heads of state in Le Monde.
Scholz, Sanchez and Costa underline the benefits of European cooperation, particularly strengthened during the Covid-19 crisis and warn of the risks of leaving the European Union by pointing the finger at the British galleys, including transport chains , supply and labor have been profoundly destabilized by Brexit.
These leaders believe that France must continue to evolve within the European Union to keep its international capacities: "A strong and united Europe in no way limits national sovereignty but on the contrary it is the only way to guarantee that our countries can prosper and compete with authoritarian powers like Russia”.
“We need France by our side (…) A France which defends our common values, in a Europe in which we recognize ourselves, which is free and open to the world, sovereign, strong and generous at the same time”, assure -they.
“It is this France that is also on the April 24 ballot.
We hope that the citizens of the French Republic will choose it, ”conclude the authors of the forum.
