# Macron, Le Pen clash over cost of living in French election debate Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2022-04-20 Category: NEWS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news Meta Title: Macron and Le Pen Debate: Who Can Improve Purchasing Power? Meta Description: French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen face off in a high-stakes debate, battling over who can improve voters' purchasing URL: https://financedigest.com/macron-le-pen-clash-over-cost-of-living-in-french-election-debatehtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2022-04-20t192336z1lynxnpei3j0trrtroptp4france-election-debate-1736815856486-compressed.jpg) By Michel Rose, Elizabeth Pineau and Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen faced off on Wednesday evening in their only debate ahead of Sunday’s presidential election run-off, battling over who would be best placed to improve voters’ purchasing power. For Le Pen, who lags Macron in voter surveys, the much awaited confrontation is a chance to persuade voters she has the stature to be president and they should not fear seeing the far-right in power. For the [past five years](https://www.financedigest.com/big-banks-want-survive-past-next-10-years-need-adapt.html "If the big banks want to survive past the next 10 years, they need to adapt") I have seen (the French people) suffer, I’ve seen them worry about a downgrading in their quality of life … and I would like to tell them that another choice is possible,” Le Pen said at the start of the debate, adding: “I will be the president of the [cost of living.”](https://www.financedigest.com/indefensible-uks-sunak-under-fire-over-response-to-cost-of-living-crisis.html "‘Indefensible’: UK’s Sunak under fire over response to cost of living crisis") For Macron, possibly the [biggest challenge to keeping his growing lead in opinion polls will be to not sound arrogant – something many voters have criticised him for – while poking at the holes he sees](https://www.financedigest.com/global-equity-funds-see-biggest-weekly-outflow-in-five-weeks.html "Global equity funds see biggest weekly outflow in five weeks") in Le Pen’s policy plans. In his opening comments he said he would, if re-elected, strive to make France “more independent and stronger … we can [improve everyday life”](https://www.financedigest.com/european-junk-debt-sales-spring-back-to-life-as-sentiment-improves.html "European junk debt sales spring back to life as sentiment improves"). With unemployment at a 13-year low, he said he was proud of job creation during his term and added: “the best way to gain [purchasing power](https://www.financedigest.com/powering-purchasing-with-process-mining.html "POWERING PURCHASING WITH PROCESS MINING") is to fight unemployment. The two candidates kept interrupting each other at the start of the debate, with Le Pen [saying that “in real life” her proposals](https://www.financedigest.com/eu-will-propose-windfall-levies-on-energy-firms-von-der-leyen-says.html "EU will propose windfall levies on energy firms, von der Leyen says") would improve voters’ situation much more than her opponent, while Macron said some of her proposals were not realistic. The election presents voters with two opposing visions of France: Macron offers a pro-European, liberal platform, while Le Pen’s nationalist manifesto is founded on deep euroscepticism. Much haggling went on behind the scenes ahead of the debate, from the temperature of the room to flipping a coin to decide which theme they would start with – the [cost of living](https://www.financedigest.com/5-ways-to-support-your-employees-during-the-cost-of-living-crisis.html "5 ways to support your employees during the cost of living crisis ") – to who would speak first – Le Pen. DIFFERENT THIS TIME? Last time they [faced off in a debate](https://www.financedigest.com/five-contenders-to-be-next-uk-pm-to-face-off-in-tv-debate.html "Five contenders to be next UK PM to face off in TV debate"), in 2017, Le Pen’s presidential challenge unravelled as she mixed up her notes and lost her footing. The prime-time debate on that occasion cemented Macron’s status as the clear front-runner. But Macron is no longer the disruptor from outside politics and now has a record in office that Le Pen can attack. Meanwhile, she has tacked [towards mainstream voters and worked hard at softening her image](https://www.financedigest.com/the-cellular-imaging-market-to-show-an-inclination-towards-digitized-innovation.html "The Cellular Imaging Market to show an inclination towards digitized innovation"). “He’s not the same opponent anymore. He now has spent five [years in power which wasn’t the case last time,”](https://www.financedigest.com/world-food-prices-rise-for-first-time-in-a-year-fao.html "World food prices rise for first time in a year- FAO") Le Pen said before the debate. After more than half of the electorate voted for far-right or hard left candidates in the first round, [Macron’s lead in opinion polls](https://www.financedigest.com/frances-macron-consolidates-poll-lead-after-tv-clash.html "France’s Macron consolidates poll lead after TV clash") is much narrower than five years ago, when he beat Le Pen with 66.1% of the vote. Voter surveys on Wednesday projected he would [win with 55.5-56.5% this time](https://www.financedigest.com/bita-wins-best-business-risk-profiling-solution-for-unprecedented-4th-time-in-a-row.html "BITA wins best Business Risk Profiling Solution for unprecedented 4th time in a row!"). Some 14% of voters are waiting for the debate to decide who to vote for, a poll by OpinionWay-Kea Partners for Les Echos newspaper showed. (Reporting by Michel Rose, Elizabeth Pineau, Tassilo Hummel, Ingrid Melander, Richard Lough; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Alex Richardson) --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---