French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in the Grand Square in front of the Sibiu City Hall to attend the European Union (EU) informal summit in Sibiu, Romania, May 9, 2019. The leaders of the EU member states on Thursday agreed on defending "one Europe" and upholding the rules-based international order in their "10 commitments" declaration, made at an informal summit in Sibiu. (Xinhua/Chen Jin)

French right-wing presidential candidates vying to clinch the nomination for the Republicans party took aim at President Emmanuel Macron on Monday in the first of several televised debates they hope will energize their flagging campaigns.

More than 100,000 card-carrying members of the party, which traces its roots back to post-war leader Charles de Gaulle, will choose their nominee at a congress on December 4.

Five candidates took part in three hours of debate on Monday that saw broad consensus on traditional right-wing themes such as immigration, delinquency and radical Islam - as well as the perceived inadequacies of Macron.

Former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier called security "the main failure of this presidential term," while regional leader Valerie Pecresse accused the 43-year-old head of state of "burning up our cash" with his management of the COVID-19 crisis.

Xavier Bertrand, seen by the Republicans rank-and-file as the most credible candidate before the debate, blamed Macron for the emergence of far-right pundit Eric Zemmour whose radical rhetoric has shaken up the presidential race.

"French people want to turn the page on Macron because he's failed. I'm convinced I'm the one who can beat him. It's not the extremes that can beat him," Bertrand concluded.

Polls currently suggest that none of the Republicans (LR) candidates will make it past the first round of the two-stage election in what would mark another crushing setback for a party which counts De Gaulle, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy as past presidents. 

Macron is widely seen as the favorite to win in April 2022, though analysts warn that the election remains highly unpredictable.

Part of the problem for the Republicans is the number of defections of senior figures over the last five years to Macron's centrist camp, while Zemmour is also seen as draining conservatives away from the party, analysts say.

Sarkozy, who remains popular among right-wing voters, has been convicted twice in 2021, effectively ending any chances he has of attempting another comeback after a first failed try in 2016.

AFP