Macron defends his record without formally declaring himself a candidate for the presidency

French President Emmanuel Macron declared his future “ambitions” for the country but declined to formally state that he was running for a second term in a lengthy prime-time television interview on Wednesday in which he defended his record as a reformer. economic.

After a rare two-hour press conference last week to outline his European ambitions, the 43-year-old head of state sat down with journalists from channel TF1 as the campaign ahead of next April’s vote intensifies.

“If your question is ‘are you looking to the future?’, ‘Do you have ambitions for our country, for the French beyond next April?’. Clearly,” replied the centrist when asked if he would run for another term. of five years. .

“I never thought we could do everything in five years,” he said during the interview that was prerecorded but aired Wednesday night.

But he argued that he needed to stay focused on governing before giving a “firm and honest answer” about his candidacy for the country.

In addition to his recent work with the media, the youngest president in the country, when he was elected in 2017, has also been touring the small towns and rural areas of France in recent weeks in what has seemed like a campaign. base.

Like his predecessors, including Francois Mitterrand and Nicolas Sarkozy, observers say he seems determined to buy time, use the presidential megaphone and the benefits of his post until as late as possible.

“I will continue until the last quarter of an hour,” he said.

France’s role in the rotating presidency of the European Union from January 1, which will see Macron set the official EU agenda, is also seen as another factor favoring a late statement.

Level field?

Recent advances in the polls of some of his opponents next year could also explain his sudden willingness to open up to the media after years of keeping journalists at arm’s length.

On Friday, RTL radio is scheduled to broadcast a special event in which it answers questions from schoolchildren.

Last week, a poll by polling group Elabe showed the former investment banker lost the second round of the April 24 election for the first time to right-wing Republican party Valerie Pecresse.

Pecresse, the militant leader of the Greater Paris region and Sarkozy’s former minister, has enjoyed a big rebound in the polls since she got her party’s nomination on December 4.

He led the criticism over the Wednesday night television interview that he said was evidence of an uneven playing field for those viewing the Elysee Palace.

“We cannot have a candidate for president who has television channels open for him when he wants and campaigns for hours and hours, while his opponents have five minutes on a panel to respond to him,” he said Monday.

She promised to complain to France’s media regulator, the CSA, which monitors the time allotted to presidential candidates to make sure each of them receives fair billing.

Regrets

Macron was repeatedly asked about mistakes early in his campaign when he was accused of speaking badly to voters, one of the factors behind a huge backlash from anti-government protesters known as “yellow vests.”

“I’ve learned to have a lot more respect for everyone, I think I can say,” Macron said, admitting that his “desire to change things” had at times been counterproductive.

“With some of my words I hurt people,” he said.

Socialist party politician Boris Vallaud condemned the interview as “like a public confession without a single new idea.”

Macron defended his reforms to labor laws, making it easier for companies to lay off workers, as well as the tax cuts that he said had allowed the country to face the Covid-19 crisis in a stronger position.

Unemployment in France fell to 8.1 percent in the latest quarter, down from 9.5 percent when Macron was elected, but remains above the average for other countries that use the euro.

He also hinted that the major pension reform, which he abandoned when the Covid-19 pandemic began, would be part of his schedule for a second term.

He admitted that his initial ideas were too “disturbing” and needed to be reformulated, but the goal would remain the same.

“We need to be prepared for the idea of ​​having to work longer,” he said.

(AFP)