French President Emmanuel Macron, candidate for re-election in the 2022 French presidential election, speaks during a campaign rally in Marseille, France April 16, 2022. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
- Macron is greening his manifesto to woo left-wing voters
- French leader holds rally in Marseille where left came first
- Macron vows to emphasize nuclear power and create a day of nature
MARSEILLE, France – President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Saturday to make France the “first major nation” to phase out the use of oil, coal and gas as energy sources, in a pitch to young and green voters, of whom he said fears they may abstain from voting next week’s election campaign.
At a rally in the Mediterranean city of Marseille, which voted massively for leftist arsonist Jean-Luc Melenchon in the first ballot, Macron attempted to extend what opinion polls show is a small lead over his far-right rival Marine Le Pen.
Ahead of the April 24 runoff, the race for the presidency is being played on the left, with both contenders trying to attract voters who backed Melenchon in the first round last Sunday.
Macron said he would put his next prime minister directly in charge of what he called “green planning,” and appealed to left-wing voters’ nostalgia for post-war communist-inspired central planning while addressing 21st-century concerns took advantage of climate change.
“I’ve heard the concern among our young people,” Macron told flag-waving supporters in a park overlooking the Old Port in Marseille, France’s second city.
“This Prime Minister’s mission will be to make France the first major nation to phase out gas, oil and coal. It is possible and we will do it,” Macron said. “Between coal and gas on the one hand and nuclear power on the other hand, I choose nuclear power.”
The President wants to build six new nuclear reactors and start studies for another eight, increase solar power capacity tenfold and build 50 offshore wind farms by mid-century. He also wants to insulate 700,000 houses a year to save energy.
Macron, a centrist, also said he wants to create a national nature day every May. He called Le Pen a “climate skeptic”.
Melenchon finished third on April 10 with more than 21% of the vote, and as both runoff candidates seek to win over his supporters, Le Pen is targeting the more working-class, rural segment of that electorate by focusing on the rising cost of living Food costs and high petrol prices after the war in Ukraine.
Macron, meanwhile, is trying to woo the more educated, centre-left and urban segments of Melenchon supporters.
An opinion poll for Ipsos on Saturday showed that 33% of Melenchon voters planned to vote for Macron, 16% for Le Pen and 51% were undecided.
Thousands of far-right protesters marched across the country on Saturday as Le Pen’s opponents tried to form a united front to prevent her from winning the runoff. Continue reading
In Marseille, Mehdi Sam, a 25-year-old IT engineer and left-wing voter, said he found Macron’s environmental program interesting but added that his father, who voted for Melenchon in the first round, plans to abstain in the runoff.
“I think that’s a mistake. I can understand that not everything suits him (in Macron) … but we forget what’s on the other side: a camp that’s extreme, with very negative values, and this is not the France I wish for tomorrow,” he said.
Reporting by Michel Rose Editing by Frances Kerry