PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday unveiled his proposals to boost the economy, fight inequality and improve France’s reactions to global crises if he wins a second term in next month’s elections.
Macron spoke at a press conference that’s his first major campaign event — taking time off from his focus on the war in Ukraine to provide details about his vision for the next five years.
He vowed to push ahead with a controversial pension reform that would “progressively” raise the retirement age from 62 to 65, and suggested that people who start working at a young age would still be able to retire before 65.
Boosting France’s growth must go through “investing more” and “working more,” he added, vowing to achieve “full employment.” The unemployment rate recently reached 7,4%, down from more than 10% when he came into power.
Macron also promised to keep investing in the French military, and fight inequalities at school and in health care access, amid other proposals.
Asked about his campaign’s motto, he said he wants the French to be “stronger and happier all together.”
Even though he formally announced he is running for a second term at the beginning of the month, Macron has not held any rallies yet. He’s been criticized by other candidates for refusing to take part in any televised debate before the first voting round, scheduled on April 10.
In recent days, he pushed for a cease-fire in Ukraine during phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and spoke on an almost daily basis with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Last week, he gathered EU leaders at the Versailles palace, west of Paris, to discuss sanctions against Russia. France holds the rotating presidency of the European Union Council, which gives Macron a key role in coordinating the bloc of 27’s response.
Next week, he is expected to be seen alongside U.S. President Joe Biden, at NATO’s summit in Brussels.
Macron recently released unusual pictures of himself working nights and weekends at the Elysee palace, looking tired and unshaven, in jeans and a hoodie.
If that’s part of a campaign strategy it seems to be paying off, reinforcing his position as frontrunner in the race while making it difficult for other contenders to challenge him.
Pollster Bernard Sananes, president of poll institute Elabe, said that “obviously the international situation is reinforcing his stature.”
“It gives the impression that Macron in 2017 has been elected on a promise to renew (politics) and that Macron in 2022 wants to be elected on the promise of (having) experience,” he said in an interview with French newspaper L’Opinion.
Polls show most French, whether they intend to vote for him or not, consider he is up to the job, he stressed.