French mainstream political heavyweights pledge to vote for Macron

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - French mainstream political heavyweights on Tuesday committed to voting for President Emmanuel Macron in the face of a serious crisis over right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen’s qualification in the presidential election runoff.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy who served as the country’s head of state from 2007 to 2012, announced his decision to vote for Macron on April 24, saying he is the only one who can act in France’s interest and in the midst of profound changes.

“I believe he has the necessary experience in the face of a serious and complex international crisis,” and his “European commitment is clear and unambiguous,” Sarkozy said on Twitter, alluding to the Russian threat to Europe over the Ukraine war.

After the outbreak of the war, Macron invited Sarkozy and his predecessor Francois Hollande to the Elysee for advice on the resolution of the geopolitical conflict.

From the socialist parties, former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin (1997-2002) and former Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe pledged their votes for Macron over Le Pen in the second round.

Speaking to FranceInter news, Delanoe said there is uncertainty about the election results and even if he has disagreements with Macron, he would prefer him as the president. Le Pen’s proposed economic program “will cause a fiasco” creating suffering for the working class, he added.

Ex-Premier Bernard Cazeneuve (2016-2017) also came out in Macron’s support.

“Because the essential – the unity of France and the values of the Republic – is at stake,” he said in a video posted on Facebook and Twitter on Monday, calling people to vote for Macron.

Both Macron and Le Pen have embarked on a renewed campaign hours after the results of the first round of voting were announced on Sunday. The two finalists have the next fortnight to make appeals to their voters and attract new ones.

Macron is out wooing the voters from the left, ecology, pensioners, and young anti-vaxxers who are disgruntled with his policies.

On Monday, responding to a young woman who questioned him about his controversial remarks of wanting to piss off the unvaccinated French, Macron regretted that many took it as an “insult” when he meant to say it in “an affectionate way.”

Le Pen on Tuesday unveiled a new campaign slogan “for all French people” to attract all of Macron’s opponents. The new poster with her image has no references to her name or political party and differs from the one unveiled for the first round, which said Madam President and Stateswoman.