French election: Germany, Spain, urge voters to back Macron over Le Pen amid Ukraine war

As France gears for its crucial run-off elections to elect the country's President, leaders of Germany, Spain, and Portugal on Thursday urged French voters to choose Emmanuel Macron over far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. In a column published in European newspapers, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa wrote that the French election "is crucial for everyone in Europe."

It's important to mention that the French election has been drawing wide international influence amid the Russian war in Ukraine. The reason vividly is because of Macron's opposition, far-right nationalist presidential candidate Le Pen, who is known to have close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“It’s the election between a democratic candidate who believes that France’s strength broadens in a powerful and autonomous European Union and an extreme-right candidate who openly sides with those who attack our freedom and democracy, values based on the French ideas of Enlightenment,” Social Democrat Scholz and Socialist Sanchez wrote, in a joint statement without directly mentioning Le Pen, as quoted by the Associated Press.

The leaders went on to add that if voted to power, the French "populist and extreme right" leader, who views Putin as "an ideological and political model" will be "replicating his chauvinist ideas." Referring to the Russian onslaught in Ukraine, Sanchez and Scholz noted that Europe "is facing a change of era." They ended the column appealing to the French voter to ensure "prosperity and well-being" in Europe by putting "France to be on our side."

Earlier on Thursday, imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny also urged French voters to support Macron alleging that Le Pen is "too close" to Putin. This further exemplifies the level of the influence French election has over the European countries. According to AP, Macron is now being complacent despite his votes displaying a steady lead against his rival. The final election to choose the next French President will take place on April 24. 

Le Pen 'too close' to Russia's Putin

Le Pen has been scrutinized for her support of Russia over its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. In the same year, her party received a $9.7 million loan from the First Czech Bank. In 2017, she also engaged in an in-person meeting with Putin before the presidential run-off. She had also called for sanctions relief for Moscow concerning the Crimean takeover.

On Wednesday, Macron and Le Pen clashed bitterly in a debate where Macron argued that the loan Le Pen's party received made her unsuitable to deal with the Russian invasion of Ukraine unbiasedly. He also flagged that Le Pen's stance to scrap headscarves for Muslim women would lead to "civil war." In response, Le Pen stated that her priority in the coming elections would be bringing down the living cost. If elected, Le Pen will be the first female President of France. Earlier, Pen had also vowed to remove France from the command hierarchy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

(Image: AP)