Édouard Balladur: “The objective is clear: the Insoumis candidate must be kept out of the second round”

Édouard Balladur's stated objective was blunt: keep the candidate of La France Insoumise out of the second round of France's presidential election.

In a column published by Le Figaro Vox on April 28 and republished after Balladur's death on Aug. 31, the former prime minister argued that France needed to abandon demagogic speeches and return to what he called the truth of the figures. He also urged politicians to take responsibility for a courageous policy.

Balladur presented the election against a bleak assessment of Europe and the wider world. He wrote that the 21st century had been damaging for Europe as the United States, China, Russia and India expanded their influence. He also described the global crisis as affecting growth, energy prices, inflation and employment.

His criticism focused sharply on France. He said the country was suffering more than its neighbours from Europe's decline, citing debt, public spending and taxes, as well as the state of internal security and what he called uncontrolled immigration. He also pointed to disorder in public education, insufficient working time, the cost of pensions and regulations that paralyse activity.

The published extract ends with Balladur's call for change, but the remainder is reserved for subscribers. The piece also refers to political alliances, the burden of debt and nuclear deterrence as issues ahead of the presidential election.

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The objective is clear: the Insoumis candidate must be kept out of the second round.