The outgoing French president and candidate for the second round in the French presidential elections, Emmanuel Macron, denied what was circulated in some French media regarding the existence of a secret agreement between him and former President Nicolas Sarkozy over the identity of his prime minister after the elections, but he did not rule out the appointment of a leftist prime minister if the elections were to take place. He won a second term.
Macron said in press statements, “No, there is no secret agreement, and I am not the one who does such actions. Above all, President Sarkozy knows what it means to be president,” and considered himself “lucky to have the support of President Sarkozy, and yesterday President Hollande, who was not only called to oppose a project The far right and Mrs. Le Pen, he even said he would vote for me and called for a vote for the candidate before you.”
Macron’s statements came from the center, in light of the intense competition between him and right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen in a run-off on April 24, as the issue of the veil is at the fore in the election campaigns of both candidates, as their positions differ regarding the veil and religious symbols in a country where the number of Muslims is 5 Millions of people make up 9% of the population and their votes are important in elections.
While Macron has emphasized on many occasions that the issue of the veil is not an obsession for him, he oversaw the closure of many mosques and schools, and his government approved a controversial law last year to combat what he called “Islamic isolationism” in France.
For her part, Le Pen calls for a ban on the headscarf in French streets, describing it as a “uniform imposed over time by people with an extremist view of Islam,” and sees the veil as a “sign” of Islamic ideology, which it considers a gateway to extremism, as she described it.
It is noteworthy that France banned the headscarf in the classroom in 2004, and in 2010 banned the veil that covers the face in the streets, and those decisions sparked many criticisms from France’s Muslims and human rights organizations.
Right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen and anti-immigration adheres to her strictness about the veil, and says that if elected, she will impose a fine on women who wear it in public places, such as a traffic violation, and Macron took advantage of Le Pen’s position to say that her policies are no different from the policies of the hardline National Front founded by her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Presenting himself as a defender of religious freedom, he stressed that banning the headscarf would constitutionally mean banning all religious symbols, including the Jewish skullcap and the cross.
Macron topped the results of the first round of the presidential elections, with between 27.6 and 29.7 percent of the vote, while Le Pen got 23.5 to 24.7%, as opinion polls indicate the intensification of the competition between them despite Macron’s lead, and analysts believe that one of the reasons for Le Pen’s progress It is her success in painting a more moderate image and presenting herself as the candidate best able to deal with problems including high prices.
With the candidates competing to win the votes of Muslim voters, Macron clearly realizes the importance of the Muslim vote. Melenchon supporters as crucial for Macron to ensure his victory in the second round.
Le Pen’s position on the veil and building a large part of her election campaign on this issue caused controversy within her camp, as Robert Menard, the mayor of Beziers and one of Le Pen’s supporters in the second round, considered her policy on the veil “wrong” and “unenforceable.”
On the other hand, the “Grand Mosque of Paris” and the “Association of Muslims of France” issued a call to voters on Friday to vote for Macron in the second round of the elections. The dean of the “Grand Mosque of Paris” Shams El-Din Hafeez said in a statement, “Hateful forces are calling today for Muslims to be exiled.. Let us vote for Emmanuel.” Macron.”
