FRANCE: The French business executives' group MEDEF took a stand yesterday against the extreme right-wing presidential candidate, Mr Jean-Marie Le Pen. It said his economic and social programme "would have disastrous effects for our country".
But like the Prime Minister Mr Lionel Jospin's earlier statement, the speech by Mr Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the MEDEF president, was noted more for its lateness and its failure to specifically call for a vote for President Jacques Chirac. Mr Seillière was silent for eight days after Mr Le Pen qualified for the May 5th run-off.
If Mr Le Pen was allowed to carry out his programme, "it would provoke deep economic regression, a strong rise in unemployment, an unprecedented financial crisis, high inflation, and explosive social tensions," Mr Seillière said. He criticised Mr Le Pen's intention to withdraw from the EU and to base access to employment on "national preference" - discrimination against immigrants.
Opinion polls published yesterday indicated that Mr Le Pen would receive about 25 per cent of the vote. But anti-Le Pen activists are worried by a predicted abstention rate of up to 35 per cent. Each abstention will raise Mr Le Pen's score, not in the number of votes, but as a percentage of the total. The football hero Zinedine Zidane called on the French to vote next Sunday, saying: "The National Front does not represent the values of France." Earlier, the French rugby team said that, since 13 of its 15 members were "first, second or third generation immigrants", the team dedicated its "grand slam" victory "to the country of human rights".
Tens of thousands of lycée students began a second week of anti-Le Pen demonstrations in Paris, Lyons and Bordeaux. But the Gaullist mayor of Bordeaux, Mr Chirac's former prime minister Mr Alain Juppé, said the demonstrations were "beside the point". He had told demonstrators in his city "it's the ballot box that matters, not the street".
Abstention in the first round was highest among young people. "The demonstrations lead to nothing, unless it's a little more aggressiveness on the part of the National Front," Mr Juppé added.
Mr Chirac's history of corruption scandals seems to be the biggest obstacle to mobilising support for him. "I don't like Le Pen, but I can't vote for someone who steals taxpayers' money," said Hervé, a water company employee.
Others reproach Mr Chirac for sending riot police to end the occupation by immigrants of the St Bernard Church in 1996, or a past comment about immigrants' "unpleasant odours".
Even those who ought to be frightened of Mr Le Pen often seem oblivious to his record. "I live in the banlieue, and I get hassled by blacks and Arabs, so I don't care if he wins," said Audrey, a Jewish hairdresser who wears a Star of David pendant.
If Mr Le Pen scores over 30 per cent of the vote, Mr Serge July lamented in Libération, "it will transform the legislative elections, poison the atmosphere in France for a long time and have negative effects on the new president's policies and European integration".