Florian Philippot, the leader of the Patriots party in France, targeted “Macron and his clique who have misled the state, even more than their sinister predecessors”. But Philippot does not have the same voter allure as Marine Le Pen or Eric Zemmour.
Philippot’s election programme includes leaving the EU, the European Convention on Human Rights as well as NATO. The President of the Patriots has been leading numerous demonstrations against the health pass since the summer of 2021. He launched his presidential campaign on October 24 by advancing his proposals for a total “rupture” and by vehemently denouncing a “globalist oligarchy” embodied by “Macron and his clique”.
For Philippot, President Emmanuel Macron, “has been waging war on us and since he wants war, he will have war”. His announcement was made in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis) in front of his supporters – a little over 1000 people according to AFP, but 1400 according to the organizers.
“France is ruled by an oligarchy which wants its death”, he said as the crowd chanted “Liberty!” and “Macron in prison!”, promising that “blockages will happen, including under the windows of the President of the Republic”.
“This oligarchy, let’s be clear, embraces big finance, big lobbies, especially pharmaceutical. It includes GAFAM [defined as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft], it includes the European Union and all the supranational structures. To this must be added of course, like a rotten icing on the cake, Macron and his clique who have led the state astray, even more than their sinister predecessors,” he continued.
The former number two of Marine Le Pen had left the FN (now the RN) after the failure of the 2017 presidential election, to launch his own movement Les Patriotes.
Beyond a Frexit and dissolution of the Constitutional Council that Philippot has promised if he is elected in 2022, he would also declare the health pass “illegal” right away and confinement and lockdowns “unconstitutional”.
In terms of health, Philippot has pledged to close the regional health agencies (ARS), suspend France’s participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) and dissolve the state’s Medical Council [conseil de l’ordre des médecins].
At the launch, he explained at length his project not only to exit the European Union (“Frexit”) and an exit from the euro, but an exit from the European Convention on Human Rights and NATO in particular. He also proposed, among other things, to dissolve the Constitutional Council, and to establish a citizens’ initiative referendum.
The Constitutional Council was created by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958. It is a court with competence for various matters, including, in particular, the constitutional review of legislation.
The two main rivals are Le Pen and Zemmour
Philippot’s campaign programme differs from that of the National Rally (RN) and Eric Zemmour’s proposals in that it constitutes a clean break from Anglo-American influence. But despite his success in organizing anti-health-pass protests, Philippot does not have the same support as a Marine Le Pen or Zemmour.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Béziers, Robert Ménard, in an interview with BFM TV said Zemmour’s candidacy would certainly be a disaster for conservatives: “We are on course to lose if we continue to be divided.” He added: “We represent nearly a third of voters according to polls, if we have two candidates, we could never qualify for the second round.” He called it ” foolproof stupidity”.
While he has not yet officially declared himself a candidate for the Élysée, Zemmour has witnessed campaign contributions arriving in large numbers at his campaign headquarters according to public broadcaster France 2. Zemmour has been blamed for playing a divisive role to end Marine Le Pen’s bid to become president.
Thus, Zemmour lacks neither ambition nor resources to achieve this. On Wednesday, October 20, the polemicist had not yet officially declared his participation, but according to our colleagues, Eric Zemmour can count on his personal funds thanks to his successful books and donations from individuals who dream of seeing him in the Élysée.
According to the entourage of the former CNEWS star, his war chest is overflowing. He chose a campaign seat in one of the most upscale neighborhoods of the capital, where real estate prices are soaring. Our colleagues from France 2 described the HQ as a building in the 8th district of Paris where, on three levels, the likely candidate and his team hope to settle.
They had at least 300 m2 of offices renovated at great expense. The rental has remained a secret but the former tenant, a famous photography studio, paid 18 000 euros per month, excluding charges, according to the news channel. His wealthy donors evidently see this as a way to damage Le Pen’s chances of becoming France’s leader.