French Election: Ms. Marine Le Pen unexpectedly 'ambushes' Mr. Macron

The two-horse race between the two candidates who made it to the second round of the French presidential election, Mr. Emmanuel Macron and Ms. Marine Le Pen, was very tense on April 26, related to the fate of the Whirlpool electronics factory, located in the city of Amiens, in the Northwest of France.

French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. (Source: THX/TTXVN)

It is also the hometown of centrist candidate Macron.

According to schedule, on the morning of April 26, candidate Macron had a meeting with representatives of the factory's trade union organizations to discuss solutions to protect jobs for workers before the factory's planned closure in June 2018 to move to Poland.

The Whirlpool factory is located in an industrial area where many factories have closed one after another over the years, leading to unemployment rising above 13%.

While Mr. Macron discussed with representatives of trade unions at the Chamber of Industry in the city of Amiens, about 20km from the factory, far-right candidate Le Pen suddenly appeared at the factory and met directly with workers, aiming to score points over his opponent.

Speaking at the factory during a workers' lunch, Ms. Le Pen promised that if she became president, she would nationalize the factory to protect workers' jobs, and accused "Mr. Macron of not having the courage to be present at the factory."

Responding to the incident, candidate Macron held a press conference, condemning Ms. Le Pen's demagogic statements, saying that it was Ms. Le Pen's policies that led to the destruction of the economy and people's purchasing power.

That same afternoon, Mr. Macron and representatives of trade unions were present at the factory. However, the Le Pen supporters present there created a chaotic scene, shouting, whistling, and jostling, making it extremely difficult for Mr. Macron to approach the workers.

The press also had great difficulty reflecting the contrasting nature of the two meetings between Ms. Le Pen and Mr. Macron.

According to the French press, Ms. Le Pen's "ambush" style, although not showing the style of a future president, is extremely effective in attracting working-class voters.

Mr. Macron's campaign team has been somewhat downplaying things in recent days, while Mr. Macron has been criticized for his "complacent" attitude during the celebration party after his victory in the first round.

The unexpected duel on April 26 showed that the second round of the two-horse race to the Elysée Palace is taking place extremely tensely when all strategies can be used to win voters' votes./.

According to Vietnamplus