In the event of his re-election
France: Macron wants to use climate protection prime minister
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a campaign event in Marseille. Photo: Laurent Cipriani/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Younger French people often vote on the left, and many abstain. Le Pen and French President Macron have to fight for votes shortly before the election. The President is now focusing on green voters.
In the fight for Green voters, French President Emmanuel Macron has promised a stronger focus on climate and environmental protection policy if he is re-elected.
“My next prime minister will be directly involved in ecological planning,” Macron said on Saturday during a campaign appearance in front of supporters in Marseille. Because climate protection, this “fight of the century”, affects all areas of life and politics. France could become “the great nation of ecology”.
Macron accused his challenger, right-wing Marine Le Pen, of being a climate change skeptic and incompetent on the subject. Le Pen wants to have wind turbines dismantled and thus waste taxpayers’ money. The runoff between him and Le Pen on April 24 was a “referendum for or against ecology”. With it comes new offshore wind farms, more solar power, newly planted trees and possibly a new “celebration of nature” that could be held in May.
Macron is trying to win over voters
Before the decisive second round of the election, Macron and Le Pen also have to convince people outside of their core constituency. Younger voters gave their votes to leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon particularly often in the first round. Many also abstained. Observers are convinced that Macron is trying to win over these voters with issues such as social justice and environmental protection.
On Saturday he announced that the prime minister would be flanked by two other climate policy ministers. One to take care of energy planning and guide France out of fossil fuel energy production. The other should take over the ecological planning in the area and decentralize the change.