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Macron warned for using main Twitter account to promote election bid
He has since deleted posts from his social media accounts and changed the biographies and pictures
French President Emmanuel Macron has been warned about using his main Twitter account for both official functions and promoting his bid for the elections in April.
The incumbent president posted his “letter to the people of France” on his main account, in which he declared his candidacy and outlined his main priorities.
Read more: Continuity key theme as Macron finally declares candidacy in letter
Following the warning by France’s election commission set up to ensure the fairness of candidates’ campaigns, the president’s team deleted the letter from his main page. They also later removed it from his Facebook page.
In a general cleanup of his social media accounts, his photos and biographies were also altered to remove overt campaigning. The Commission did not mention the president's other social media channels, such as his Instagram and TikTok accounts.
Mr Macron has a second Twitter account that he is using principally for campaigning, under the name Emmanuel Macron avec vous, @avecvous.
His main Twitter account previously stated in the biography section, “to follow the latest on my campaign, go to @avecvous”. It has now been changed to say, “candidate for a second mandate @avecvous”.
Mr Macron’s main Twitter account has over 7.9 million followers, compared to his campaign-focused account that has only around 18,300.
The election commission, called the Commission nationale de contrôle de la campagne électorale en vue de l’élection présidentielle (CNCCEP), put out a general warning to candidates not to mix their public functions with campaigning on their social media accounts.
This warning could also be directed at Les Républicains’ election candidate Valérie Pécresse, who is also the Présidente du Conseil régional d'Île-de-France, and Parti socialiste candidate Anne Hidalgo, who is also the mayor of Paris.
These two candidates have been using their main social media accounts to promote their presidential campaign, and have not altered them yet, Le Parisien reported.
Il est temps d'avoir une gaulliste à l'Élysée. 🇫🇷 #NouvelleFrance pic.twitter.com/3EBPIZHCBY
— Valérie Pécresse (@vpecresse) February 16, 2022
Ensemble, nous avons encore le moyen de décider, de changer. Il n'y a pas de fatalité à vivre un avenir sombre, offert aux extrêmes.
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) February 20, 2022
Ensemble, nous pouvons mener notre transition écologique tout en relevant le défi social et n'oublier personne.
Ensemble, changeons d’avenir. pic.twitter.com/7hFbR3JU9t
The first round of France’s presidential election takes place on April 10. There are 12 candidates in the mix.
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