French Presidential Elections 2012: Candidates' Views

Voyons un peu ce qu’ont exprimé aujourd’hui les candidats auprès de leur public respectif :

François Hollande He pointed out that the low interest in the environment in the polls is attributable, according to him, to the fact that in times of crisis the themes of employment and purchasing power overshadow all other subjects. He believes that developing environmental, renewable energy and energy saving policies could ensure better protection of purchasing power and create more jobs.

Marine Le Pen described Nicolas Sarkozy as "Mr. Plus of immigration," the day after the head of state gave an interview to Figaro Magazine. According to her, the massive immigration of the last ten years is disrupting the French in their cultural identity and way of life. "There is no way we are going to bow to the demands of the latest arrivals," she said.

François Bayrou, de son côté, a fait appel aux républicains et aux humanistes. Il a lancé un appel à tous les gens de droite qui ne peuvent s’identifier aux valeurs défendues par M. Sarkozy. Sur la question du référendum sur les droits des chômeurs, M. Bayrou s’est exprimé ainsi : « Les hommes politiques ne devraient pas s’y prêter ; les hommes d’État devraient se l’interdire ».

Jean-Luc Mélenchon For his part, he advocated the development of geothermal energy. He emphasized that this terrestrial heat source is virtually free and available in large quantities. He added that he "is in favor of a social energy tariff, starting with the first free kWh."

Nicolas Sarkozy expressed the desire to extend the lifespan of France's nuclear power plants beyond 40 years, to provide the economy with a cheap source of energy. He asked operators "to undertake all maintenance efforts and seek the highest standards of safety and security to ensure that this fleet can be extended."