Russia Today France – April 24th – Live transcript – Last edited 23:47
By Elena Tigritzova
18:35
The pressure in the air starts to thicken as we approach the crucial moment of the French presidential election.
Most of the polling stations will close at 19:00 except in some of the bigger cities like Paris or Marseilles where they will close at 20:00 which is the maximum legal limit (see infographic about French Elections). 20:00 is also the moment where all the French TV will show the face of the next President. The info will not come from the Ministry of Interior that will only gives the results a few hours later when most of the counting will have been registered but from estimation based on the counting from a number of polling station chosen by the different polling institutes.
In France, the different estimations (that have always been accurate in the past) cannot be aired before the legal time of 20:00 at the earliest.
This is not the case for Belgian or Swiss institutes and some results have already been posted on some traditional medias like Belgian “Le Soir” or Swiss “La Tribune de Genève”. We are legally forbidden to write what they say but we can hint that they are contradictory for the first time in modern history.
19:47
Currently the atmosphere in the meeting places for Macron and Le Pen partisans is quite tense. Some of the polling done by foreign media as well as information gathered by supporters in various cities in France make the result much closer than what was expected by the traditional media. Nobody was expecting a roust for Marine Le Pen like during the 2017 elections where the “Front Républicain” worked to make Emmanuel Macron win with two-thirds of the votes but most of them where alluding a 57 – 43 comfortable victory for the incumbent president.
However it seems that the traditional runoff debate ( the “entre-deux-tours” debate as it is called in France) was perceived like a show of arrogance by President Macron and even if Marine Le Pen was not particularly brilliant, she was not seen as incompetent like in 2017.
Also some political analysts are explaining the closest results by the declaration of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who finished third in the first round. JLM, as he is generally designated in print, made a speech where he asked the Nation to elect him as Prime Minister whoever would win the Presidential Election. It is a figure of speech because you do not elect the Prime Minister but a large victory of the “Popular Union” led by “La France Insoumise” (LFI) in the parliamentary elections that will follow on June 12th and 19th would force the newly elected President to appoint Jean-Luc Mélenchon as Prime Minister. If not the Parliament could issue a motion of no confidence that would result in the resignation of the Prime Minister (see infographic about French Elections).
We have no way to estimate the truth of this explanation but the general thinking is that people may be thinking than in two months they will elect JLM as Prime Minister so there is not need for the barrage to Marine Le Pen.
Infographic about French Elections
French Presidential elections are held every 5 years. There is a limit of two consecutive terms to the number of times a president can be reelected since the constitutional reform of 2008. There is a first round where every candidates able to gather sponsorship from 500 elected representatives in at least 30 departments can present itself. This year there were 12 candidates with Emmanuel Macron finishing first with almost 28%, Marine Le Pen second with more than 23% and Jean-Luc Mélenchon being third with almost 22%. All of the others being under 10%. Abstention level was more than 26%, less then the predicted 30% or more. The second round is held 2 weeks later with the famous “entre-deux-tours” debate that has been in the past a decisive game changer. (The most famous example is the sentence of Valery Giscard d’Estaing in front of socialist François Mitterand “Vous n’avez pas le Monopole du cœur”-You have not the monopoly of hearth- that is said to allowed him to win the election in 1974). This year the debate as not been the 2017 debacle by Marine Le Pen but some patronizing attitude by Emmanuel Macron may have cost him a little. The polling stations are generally opened from 08:00 to 19:00 with the exception of some cities like Paris, Marseilles, Nice, Lyon where they close at 20:00. The results cannot be divulged before 20:00 in France but since some years now, Belgium and Swiss in particular have been known to give the results as soon as 16:00. Since the presidential mandate is 5 years, the legislative elections to elect the 577 members of the National Assembly are held a few weeks after the Presidential election. A move to help the newly elected President to gather support from the Assembly. This year however it may change, especially if the call from Jean-Luc Mélenchon (JLM) to be elected Prime Minister turns out to be true. The Prime Minister is not elected under French law but rather nominated by the President. However the Constitution allows the Parliament to issue a vote of no confidence to the general policy discourse. This vote requires absolute majority so what tribune Mélenchon, as he is often called by its adversaries, means by being elected Prime Minister is to win absolute majority in the June 12th and 19th legislative elections.
20:02
The sounds in the streets are absolutely incredible here in Paris tonight and it would be the same in any city in France tonight.
In other European cities the sounds are probably much quieter but the incredulity is probably even greater than for us living in France.
All of France has gaped in front of their TV set when the visage that appeared was the one of Marine Le Pen. The incredulity that was off the face of the news anchors is already a Twitter meme that is circulating widely.
20:04
Marine Le Pen – Live from “La capitainerie” the headquarters of her party the National Rally “Rassemblement National (RN)”
“Dear People of France, Dear Legally admitted Foreigners, it is with great emotion and joy that I am holding this first speech as the future President of the French Republic. The various projection are clear: You have decided that enough was enough, and that we needed to leave the bankers out of control of our lives. I have heard your message and I make the solemn promise in front of you that I will make your spending power my priority and the priority of the government that I will choose. The next step in the reconquest of our lives from the banking corporations is the next legislative elections. I ask you, dear people of France to not slack in the efforts for this reconquest of our lives, we MUST get a majority in the next assembly to be able to conduct the policies for which you have elected me. Vive la République ! Vive la France !”
20:06
Emmanuel Macron – Live from the Murat Room in the Élysée Palace.
“My dear fellow citizens, even if the Ministry of interior has not yet released the official results of this election, it is with great sadness that I must concede my defeat to Madame Marine Le Pen. She will be the next President of the French Republic. For my part, I will not stay quiet in front of what I consider a major set back for our country. I will from this day help all the members of “En Marche” to obtain an absolute majority in the Assembly so we can counter this unprecedented event. To those for rejoice loudly or in silence, I say that history will speak and I can only hope it will not be with too much sadness.
I also want to say thank you to all the people that have voted for the values of liberty, responsibility and friendship that I represent. The war is not over. We may have lost a battle but we can recover what has been lost by being the first party in the next parliament. Your vote is even more important tomorrow than it was today.”
20:12
Jean-Luc Mélenchon interview from Rue de Dunkerque.
“The time is dire. I had been very clear that no votes should go to the far right. It seems that I have not be listened to as it is hard to imagine this results without a large portion of our electorate voting for the National Rally. I can only understand the deception of imagining 5 more years in the hands of the establishment and their representative Mister Macron after what we had to endure for the last 5 years. This is why I had already asked you to make me Prime Minister regardless of whom would be elected. The time is dire and I ask all the forces of the Left to join the Popular Union that I have been promoting since so long. I will not rewind history and lament the results of the first round where we could have been in position to be in the second round. What we see today would not have occurred! This is why I am calling to all the leaders of the Left parties and the Green parties to join the Popular Union so we can form an unstoppable force that will conquer the absolute majority in the next Assembly. More than ever it is the responsibility of all of us that believe in a new model where the human beings would be privileged over the banking system to unite and show that we are ready to construct a new civilization together.”
21:13
First incidents in various cities of France.
Various cities in France are seeing burnt cars and depredations. Some groups wearing swastikas symbols are chanting in front of Mosques but the Police forces present are preventing aggression so far.
The worst incident that has been reported has been the burning of a shop owned by an Algerian man in the city of Dreux. The Fire department is still on site to prevent the fire to reach the near buildings.
The Interior Minister has declared that there will be no indulgence for any of these unacceptable acts and that Justice will be done swiftly so everybody remembers that we are still in Republic and that the Law will always protect the citizens confronted to the rage of uncontrollable thugs.
In the city of Beziers a huge fireplace as been erected in front of the City Council. The atmosphere is rather friendly and no depredations have been noticed but the CRS are encircling the area to prevent any outbursts.
22:56
Official results from Ministry of Interior
| Candidates | Ballots | % Listed | % Expressed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mme Marine LE PEN | 19,370,659 | 39.73 | 50.31 |
| M. Emmanuel MACRON | 19,131,942 | 39.25 | 49.69 |
| Numbers | % Listed | % Ballots | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listed | 48,747,876 | ||
| Abstentions | 10,245,274 | 21.02 | |
| Ballots | 38,502,602 | 78.98 | |
| Blank | 745,245 | 1.53 | 1.94 |
| Void | 236,471 | 0.49 | 0.61 |
| Expressed | 37,520,886 | 76,97 | 97.45 |
23:47
The election of the first ever woman President in France, first ever far right President in a major country of the European construction is a new world. But after Covid-19, the Climate warnings being worse and worse by the days, Russia invasion of Ukraine, the world starts to be accustomed to world changing events.
The only one that is still missing, is not the buy-out of Twitter by Elon Musk but an Alien invasion at that stage.
It is time for me to wish you доброй ночи (good night). See you tomorrow in what we hope is not the start of a “Brave new world”.