“A fundamental democratic problem”: Olivier Faure seizes Arcom to oppose the Attal-Bardella debate

Olivier Faure défend son candidat Raphaël Glucksmann, lésé dans le débat de France 2 du 23 mai prochain. MAXPPP – Vincent Isore

The first secretary of the PS contacted the audiovisual regulatory authority, three weeks before the European elections of June 9, believing that the debate organized by France 2 disregards the ;equal treatment and respect for pluralism.

To say that the debate between Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and the leader of the national rally, Jordan Bardella, on France 2 next Friday, May 23, arouses controversy is an understatement. A debate contested by most political groups, but the first secretary of the PS Olivier Faure goes further and protested in a letter to the audiovisual regulator Arcomen denouncing it "a fundamental democratic problem".

🔴 Un débat pour les élections européennes ne peut se résumer à une confrontation entre la droite et l’extrême-droite.

Le pluralisme est nécessaire au bon fonctionnement de notre démocratie. @faureolivier saisit l’@Arcom_fr au sujet du débat Attal-Bardella sur @FranceTV pic.twitter.com/Od3Ijc3TmC

— Parti socialiste (@partisocialiste) May 18, 2024

Less than three weeks before the European elections, Olivier Faure writes to the president of Arcom, Roch-Olivier Maistre: "An organized debate for the European elections cannot be summed up in our country as a confrontation between the right and the extreme right, effectively excluding any representation of left-wing parties.

Attal is not a candidate

He also believes that his candidate for Public Place, Raphaël Glucksmann, engaged in the campaign and 3rd man in the polls, may be harmed because he is very close to his rival Valérie Hayer and such a debate could alter the sincerity of the poll of June 9.

🔴 Européennes : Olivier Faure saisit l’Arcom à propos du débat entre Gabriel Attal et Jordan Bardella. Au nom du pluralisme, il dénonce «un problème démocratique fondamental».https://t.co/nfgonLgVcR

— Libération (@libe) May 18, 2024

Especially, as Olivier Faure points out, that Gabriel Attal, the head of government "is not a candidate for the election European, and that he replaces the head of the Renaissance list.

L'Arcom writes to France Télé

Olivier Faure underlines "equal treatment and respect for political pluralism two weeks before a major political election&quot ;.

L'Arcom therefore wrote to the president of France Télévisions Delphine Ernotte asking to inform her of the "provisions that the channel intends to implement to guarantee to other lists of candidates full respect for fair presentation and access to its antenna. But the debate will take place. It will be hosted by journalist Caroline Roux, from 8:15 p.m. on the public channel. A debate which, moreover, should be closely followed…