As a sign of the pressure exerted on Mr. Macron, he received a barrage of criticism after refusing to participate in a television program on Tuesday night along with other candidates.
“He has not taken part in any controversial examination,” an anonymous candidate told Politico. “War is a convenient excuse.”
Macron’s aides said he was unable to attend the France 2 Élysée 2022 program due to a “programming problem”.
Five other candidates – Valérie Pécresse of the center-right, Socialist Anne Hidalgo, far-right Éric Zemmour, environmentalist Yannick Jadot and anti-capitalist Philippe Poutou – are running. Ms. Lepen has appeared on the show twice in recent weeks.
Anger at Macron’s absence
Mr Macron’s absence has sparked outrage at France 2 reporters, who wrote in a public letter that he had not appeared on the public channel once since announcing his candidacy for re-election. Meanwhile, he appeared on TF1, a proprietary opponent, four times, while rejecting invitations to appear on a number of other radio stations and television channels. Macron, however, has been slow to reach the election campaign, warning at a rally of about 30,000 supporters in Paris last weekend that Le Pen could win a shocking Brexit victory. He was out and about with the crowds at Spézet, Brittany, during a quiet campaign on Tuesday. “You can count on me,” he insisted. “You can count on my determination.”
