How the war in Ukraine is benefiting the French president's reelection campaign

How the war in Ukraine is benefiting the French president's reelection campaign

　　Transcript¹

　　The reelection of French President Emmanuel Macron next month seems virtually assured due to the war in Ukraine, but many say the lack of debate means democracy is being cheated.

　　A MARTINEZ, HOST:

　　Next month's presidential elections in France have been overshadowed by the war in Ukraine, and that has been to one candidate's advantage. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

　　ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE²: The eight top candidates for president appeared one by one before a live TV audience and took questions from two journalists. The quasi-debate show was called "France Facing War."

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　UNIDENTIFIED JOURNALIST: (Speaking French).

　　BEARDSLEY: One journalist asked incumbent³ Emmanuel Macron, you just spoke⁴ to Russian President Vladimir Putin again. What is there to say to him after all this destruction?

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Speaking French).

　　BEARDSLEY: Macron responds by saying the journalist is right to highlight the horrors of a war on European soil but says he's talking to Putin and has also been working the phones with other world leaders, pushing for a ceasefire. How can any other candidate compete with that, asks Corinne Mellul, professor of international relations at Sciences Po University.

　　CORINNE MELLUL: He's the war chief right now, the chef de guerre, and during a war, you don't want to change leaders so that even if before the war, his reelection was almost seen as a foregone conclusion, now it's a certainty.

　　BEARDSLEY: Macron's numbers have gone up 5 points since Russia invaded Ukraine. Polls show him leading the pack, with 30% of the vote ahead of the first round. The next closest candidate is right-wing standard bearer, Marine⁵ Le Pen, with 17%. Also in the hunt are far-right populist and former journalist Eric Zemmour and far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon. They've been negatively impacted by this war, says Douglas Webber, political science professor at international business school INSEAD.

　　DOUGLAS WEBBER: Three of the four major other contenders for the presidency⁶ have all embarrassed themselves by having made pro-Putin statements or having adopted pro-Putin stances in the past.

　　BEARDSLEY: The war has especially hurt populist Zemmour, who's been Putin's biggest cheerleader over the years, up until just days before the invasion that he said wouldn't happen. There's a video compilation⁷ of his pro-Putin remarks on YouTube.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　ERIC ZEMMOUR: (Speaking French).

　　BEARDSLEY: Vladimir Putin is a Russian patriot⁸ with a grand foreign policy and a powerful army, he says, adding that Russian demands in Ukraine are completely legitimate⁹. Once the darling of the anti-immigration, anti-Muslim camp, Zemmour has now lost considerable credibility.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Valerie, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie.

　　BEARDSLEY: Supporters cheered conservative candidate Valerie Pecresse at a rally in the town of Meaux, east of Paris. Along with Macron, Pecresse is the only other mainstream¹⁰ candidate in the top five. She supports sanctions on Russia and welcomes Ukrainian refugees.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　VALERIE PECRESSE: (Speaking French).

　　BEARDSLEY: But the war in Ukraine should not be used as a pretext¹¹ to skip the debate of ideas, she told her audience. The destiny of the French people will play out in a few weeks, and Emmanuel Macron is about to get a free pass, she says. Macron has refused to debate until the second round, when the two highest-scoring candidates will face off. Retiree Michel Fouchault (ph), who served two terms as the mayor of a small town, came out to the rally to support Pecresse.

　　MICHEL FOUCHAULT: (Through interpreter) If you're an official seeking reelection, you've got to debate your record, recognize your errors and accept to put your ideas up against those of other candidates. This is the basis of our democracy.

　　BEARDSLEY: Fouchault says a presidential election is the chance to debate issues important to the country, like the economy, immigration and French identity. He says that's not happening this time around, and many people feel this election has been hijacked¹².

　　Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF GOTAN PROJECT'S "TRIPTICO")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

7 compilation   

n.编译，编辑

参考例句：

• One of the first steps taken was the compilation of a report.首先采取的步骤之一是写一份报告。
• The compilation of such diagrams,is of lasting value for astronomy.绘制这样的图对天文学有永恒的价值。

8 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

9 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

10 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

11 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

12 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。