Weary and worried, French voters are in unpredictable mood
Published: 05:04 PM,Apr 08,2022 | EDITED : 09:04 PM,Apr 08,2022
French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said she had never been 'so close' to power at a jubilant final rally before the election. -- AFP
DONZY: Every five years French goose farmer Frederic Coudray-Ozbolt revels in the attention his quiet village receives when journalists come knocking at presidential election time.
Two and half hours' drive south of the capital, Donzy has found fame as a national bellwether that has correctly picked the winner of every presidential election since 1981.
'It makes us feel like we're a part of France and not at the end of it,' says Coudray-Ozbolt of the brief celebrity he and his neighbours enjoy.
Their powers of prediction faltered slightly in the first round of voting in 2017, but were restored in the second when Donzy voted like the rest of the country for Emmanuel Macron, a then 39-year-old newcomer who destroyed the stranglehold of France's traditional parties of government.
But five years later, Coudray-Ozbolt says he's hesitating about voting for Macron again in Sunday's first round.
'There's too much PR,' said the 54-year-old, who makes the controversial French delicacy foie gras. 'Every day they announce something. How much of it will materialise?'
As polls show far-right leader Marine Le Pen closing in on Macron, still the narrow favourite, the hesitation of people like Coudray-Ozbolt could prove crucial.
INFLATION WORRIES
After a highly unusual campaign overshadowed by outside events, the words on many people's lips in Donzy -- like elsewhere in France -- are 'the crises'.
'There was Covid 19, now the war in Ukraine,' sighed Jacques Martin, a 66-year-old retired policeman who is president of the rugby club.
Local mayor Marie-France Lurier says 'people are anxious and they're finding it difficult to think about the future.'
Three lockdowns since 2020 have brought life repeatedly to a standstill, and now galloping inflation linked to Covid and the Ukraine conflict, is eating into household budgets.
'The biggest, fundamental concern is spending power, the need for salary rises, and worries over the increase in fuel and energy prices,' said Lurier, a left-leaning independent.
All across the village, people are quick to mention sudden price hikes that belie the official inflation rate of just 4.5 per cent.
A local builder said he'd just been notified of a 12-per cent price increase for plaster. The nearest winemaker faces a 53-per cent rise in the cost of glass bottles.
Diesel prices at the local supermarket hover near 2.0 euros ($2.18) a litre, up around 20 per cent since the start of the year.
'We're going out less and we're not sure what we're going to do for the holidays,' said 37-year-old Sarah Lesage, a nurse.
COULD BE WORSE
Conversations with the voters of Donzy suggested Sunday's first-round and the second-round run-off on April 24 will be won or lost by the candidate seen as most trusted to find solutions.
Though early campaigning was dominated by anti-immigration rhetoric from 'France's Trump' -- new far-right candidate Eric Zemmour -- polls overwhelmingly show that household spending is the priority now.
Although there was little fervour for Macron in Donzy, there was clear respect by some, admiration even, for his role as the country's crisis-manager-in-chief.
'With everything that's going on, at least we have a president that seems to have his head firmly on his shoulders,' said Jacqueline Vincent, 69, clutching baguettes outside a bakery.
'It could be a lot worse.'
Many are grateful for the 100-billion-euro ($110-billion) rescue plan announced in September 2020 that has sent the national debt rocketing but has trickled down to places like Donzy.
LE PEN'S GAIN
But Macron, a former investment banker, has also earned a reputation for arrogance and high-handedness that is particularly resented in small towns and villages.
A 2018 revolt against him by so-called 'Yellow Vest' protesters was sparked as much by his abrasive personality as his pro-business policies and tax cuts for the wealthy.
Distracted by his diplomatic efforts with Russia and Ukraine, he only started campaigning two weeks ago.
Le Pen meanwhile has spent months shaking hands at provincial markets and agricultural fairs, focusing on the issue now on everyone's minds: inflation and incomes.
'Between Macron and us, it's a choice between the power of money that benefits the few, and household purchasing power that benefits the many,' she said recently, promising more tax cuts and social spending.
Her decision not to play up fears over immigration to France, her traditional rallying cry, has helped soften her image.
And she has hammered Macron in recent weeks on the record two billion euros spent on management consultancies during his term, an issue that appeared to be cutting through in Donzy. -- AFP
Two and half hours' drive south of the capital, Donzy has found fame as a national bellwether that has correctly picked the winner of every presidential election since 1981.
'It makes us feel like we're a part of France and not at the end of it,' says Coudray-Ozbolt of the brief celebrity he and his neighbours enjoy.
Their powers of prediction faltered slightly in the first round of voting in 2017, but were restored in the second when Donzy voted like the rest of the country for Emmanuel Macron, a then 39-year-old newcomer who destroyed the stranglehold of France's traditional parties of government.
But five years later, Coudray-Ozbolt says he's hesitating about voting for Macron again in Sunday's first round.
'There's too much PR,' said the 54-year-old, who makes the controversial French delicacy foie gras. 'Every day they announce something. How much of it will materialise?'
As polls show far-right leader Marine Le Pen closing in on Macron, still the narrow favourite, the hesitation of people like Coudray-Ozbolt could prove crucial.
INFLATION WORRIES
After a highly unusual campaign overshadowed by outside events, the words on many people's lips in Donzy -- like elsewhere in France -- are 'the crises'.
'There was Covid 19, now the war in Ukraine,' sighed Jacques Martin, a 66-year-old retired policeman who is president of the rugby club.
Local mayor Marie-France Lurier says 'people are anxious and they're finding it difficult to think about the future.'
Three lockdowns since 2020 have brought life repeatedly to a standstill, and now galloping inflation linked to Covid and the Ukraine conflict, is eating into household budgets.
'The biggest, fundamental concern is spending power, the need for salary rises, and worries over the increase in fuel and energy prices,' said Lurier, a left-leaning independent.
All across the village, people are quick to mention sudden price hikes that belie the official inflation rate of just 4.5 per cent.
A local builder said he'd just been notified of a 12-per cent price increase for plaster. The nearest winemaker faces a 53-per cent rise in the cost of glass bottles.
Diesel prices at the local supermarket hover near 2.0 euros ($2.18) a litre, up around 20 per cent since the start of the year.
'We're going out less and we're not sure what we're going to do for the holidays,' said 37-year-old Sarah Lesage, a nurse.
COULD BE WORSE
Conversations with the voters of Donzy suggested Sunday's first-round and the second-round run-off on April 24 will be won or lost by the candidate seen as most trusted to find solutions.
Though early campaigning was dominated by anti-immigration rhetoric from 'France's Trump' -- new far-right candidate Eric Zemmour -- polls overwhelmingly show that household spending is the priority now.
Although there was little fervour for Macron in Donzy, there was clear respect by some, admiration even, for his role as the country's crisis-manager-in-chief.
'With everything that's going on, at least we have a president that seems to have his head firmly on his shoulders,' said Jacqueline Vincent, 69, clutching baguettes outside a bakery.
'It could be a lot worse.'
Many are grateful for the 100-billion-euro ($110-billion) rescue plan announced in September 2020 that has sent the national debt rocketing but has trickled down to places like Donzy.
LE PEN'S GAIN
But Macron, a former investment banker, has also earned a reputation for arrogance and high-handedness that is particularly resented in small towns and villages.
A 2018 revolt against him by so-called 'Yellow Vest' protesters was sparked as much by his abrasive personality as his pro-business policies and tax cuts for the wealthy.
Distracted by his diplomatic efforts with Russia and Ukraine, he only started campaigning two weeks ago.
Le Pen meanwhile has spent months shaking hands at provincial markets and agricultural fairs, focusing on the issue now on everyone's minds: inflation and incomes.
'Between Macron and us, it's a choice between the power of money that benefits the few, and household purchasing power that benefits the many,' she said recently, promising more tax cuts and social spending.
Her decision not to play up fears over immigration to France, her traditional rallying cry, has helped soften her image.
And she has hammered Macron in recent weeks on the record two billion euros spent on management consultancies during his term, an issue that appeared to be cutting through in Donzy. -- AFP