Grand Debate: French Presidential Elections

!!! PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS !!!

1. We would like to urge all participants and audience members to be on time. The event hour is officially 6:45 PM. Barring unforeseen circumstances, WE WILL START AT 7PM SHARP. Please make sure you arrive before this! We wish to add more discipline to timing in Brussels Debaters, and this is a reflection of that.

2. If you are currently on the attending list, but are not able to come after all, could you please remove yourself from the list? We have an attendance limit, so this effort is always appreciated.

Allons enfant de la patrie, le jour de gloire est arrivé! The French people will go to the polls once again this month to decide who their president is going to be. France is a country in flux, a nation that seeks to maintain the significance and the way of life that it has long had, while still keeping up with the way the world is changing and dealing with the new paramaters that come with this change. What it means to be a citizen of France and what it means to be French is no longer as clear-cut as it once seemed to be, and the French people are very much divided in what future they want for their country. As one of the European Union's most prominent players economically, diplomatically, militarily, and culturally, and with an important role on the global level, the results of this election will revertebrate far beyond France's borders as well. This election will be a significant one for France, for Europe, and maybe even the world.

This debate will take place between the first and second rounds of the French presidential elections, at which point only two candidates will remain. The two favorites in the polls are also the two who are advancing to the second round, and we are looking at a rematch of the 2017 election: incumbent President Emmanuel Macron versus Front National's Marine Le Pen.

The motion is "This House believes that it is time for new leadership in France", where the Proposition will represent whoever challenges Emmanuel Macron, and the Opposition will represent those in favor of Emmanuel Macron. If you wish to participate, please register accordingly. With the result of the first round in, this means that the Proposition will represent Le Pen's camp, and the Opposition will represent Macron's.

Proposition: Challengers to Macron (Marine Le Pen's camp)
Opposition: Defenders of Macron

Audience: Young French voters (18-24 years of age)

Format: 4 vs 4, 10' per speaker
If you want to be a speaker, please indicate in a comment below whether you want to join the team of the proposition or the opposition. Those who would prefer to watch and ask questions can join as audience members.
If you are new to debating, take a look at this one pager explaining the format and roles: https://tinyurl.com/yy4sn5jx
This season, you can ask the host for detailed feedback. Just print this scorecard: https://tinyurl.com/y3hmwbm5