MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On January 20, Le Figaro newspaper published an extract from the book of journalists entitled L'enfer de Bercy (In the Hell of Bercy), a referral to the French Economy Ministry, where the authors stated that Macron, who until August last year headed the ministry, "alone used 80 percent of the annual budget of representation expenses granted to his ministry by the budget" with at least 120,000 euros ($128,800) spent in eight months on "the young minister's lunches and dinners in good company."
"None of the budget of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Digital Sector has ever been used for En Marche! Any assertion to the contrary is purely and simply defamatory," En Marche! said in a statement.
Macron's team stressed that receiving at the Economy Ministry people not belonging to administration was a normal and legitimate part of Macron's role and function as a minister.
"Emmanuel Macron is proud to have made his Ministry an institution open to economic actors and civil society in general, by inviting the citizens who wished to come freely to exchange and debate with him. These moments are the concrete demonstration of his permanent will to put French people at the heart of public action," it was noted in the statement.
On Tuesday, following Le Figaro's publication, two French lawmakers — The Republicans' Christian Jacob and centrist Philippe Vigier — openly suggested that these funds were used by Macron to fund the establishment of his movement and possibly for his presidential campaign.
Nevertheless, Macron better than any other candidate succeeds in making each meeting with public a media hit and his approval ratings are dynamically increasing. Now, for two month in a row he stands as a third man in the presidential race after the leader of far-right National Front Marine Le Pen and right candidate Francois Fillon.
According to the latest poll, published on January 19 and conducted by Ipsos-Sopra Steria, Macron is projected to get 17 percent in case ex-prime minister Manuel Valls and Francois Bayrou, the president of the Democratic Movement, also join the race, and 21 percent if Valls fail this Sunday at the Socialist primaries with Bayrou abstaining from making his bid.
