A European candidate has undermined the priority of Emmanuel Macron who must enter the campaign and breathe new life into his camp this Thursday, April 25, with a speech delivered from the Sorbonne.
“It will be the Strasbourg speech against the Sorbonne speech.” The tone is set by a member of the campaign team of the candidate from Place publique and the Socialist Party to Politico. While Emmanuel Macron plans to give a speech on Europe on Thursday April 25 from the Sorbonne, Raphaël Glucksmann will prioritize the head of state. The MEP at the head of the socialist list is due to speak on Wednesday April 24, at 7:30 p.m., in Strasbourg during a political meeting.
Raphaël Glucksmann's speech has been planned for a long time, but it took a completely different turn when Emmanuel Macron decided to set the date for his second speech from the Sorbonne – he had already opted for this strategy during the European elections in 2019 – the day after that of the candidate. From a simple campaign speech, the meeting given by the candidate Place publique – Socialist Party has become an opportunity to present “his doctrine on Europe”. The nod to the President's speech on the "perspective of the European Union's strategic agenda" is obvious. Raphaël Glucksmann therefore relies on the direct comparison between the two speeches and hopes to emerge victorious from the duel. Because this succession of speeches looks like a duel, even if the Elysée assures that Emmanuel Macron will speak as head of state and will not give a political meeting. In fact, this speech from the Sorbonne 2 must also be the means of relaunching the campaign of the majority candidate and is perceived as the official entry of the Head of State into the campaign...
Raphaël Glucksmann, who admitted to Politico that he “very much liked” the Sorbonne speech given by Emmanuel Macron on September 26, 2017, this time wants to be the bulwark against what he seems to consider as an imposture. According to him, the head of state has had "pro-European words but has not had pro-European policies" during the last five years. The candidate on the first left-wing list – according to the results of the polls – therefore wants to establish himself as the most pro-European candidate of the two, if not all. And by doing this, he hopes to attract to him the center-left electorate who have turned toward Macronism, but who, like him, have been disappointed.
For Raphaël Glucksmann's list as for that of Emmanuel Macron's camp, led by Valérie Hayer, every vote counts. Especially since both are fighting for second place in opinion surveys. The list on the left is five points behind the majority on average, but ended up just two points apart in the most optimistic scenario. Aware of the maneuver announced by Raphaël Glucksmann, Emmanuel Macron could however prepare his response and slip a few words towards his opponent.
The Strasbourg speech should allow Raphaël Glucksmann to present his “Europe 2030” project and the pro-European policy designed by the socialist camp. An entire program built on three major axes: ecology, defense and solidarity. If the head of the list wants to prove that Emmanuel Macron does not have a monopoly on Europe, he wants to take the opportunity to remind people that ecology is not the prerogative of the Greens. A line that worries the Marie Toussaint camp, which is struggling to assert itself in the polls and happens to be the third list on the left, credited with 5.5% to 8% of voting intentions, behind Raphaël Glucksmann and Manon Aubry .
The only left-wing candidate to exceed the 10% mark in the poll results, can Raphaël Glucksmann become the “useful vote” of left-wing voters? This is a hypothesis feared by certain environmentalists as indicated by an environmentalist deputy to franceinfo. For the head of the list, all votes are valid. And while his left-wing competitors are not short of criticism about him, the man might have no qualms about capturing part of their electorate.
