French President Emmanuel MacronAfter he said he will make it harder for people who reject the Covid-19 vaccination, he has drawn new criticism from political opponents.

“I’m not here to bother the French. The administration blocks me. It makes me rant all the time. It’s the unvaccinated that I really desire to bother. “And so, we will keep doing it, till the end,” said the French leader in an interview. Le ParisienAccording to CNBC’s translation, Tuesday evening,.

Macron spoke of “emmerder” as a French term in an interview. Le ParisienThe word “piss off” can also be translated to “hassle” and “annoy,” respectively.

His comments coincided with parliamentary discussions over Covid passes — documents that state whether someone has been vaccinated — which are used to attend certain events. After death threats, a bill to prevent unvaccinated people from transporting and entering public places was due for approval this week. However, it has been delayed.

Macron’s comments prompted different political leaders and criticised the president incumbent, with elections expected in spring.

Marine Le Pen (head of anti-immigration Rassemblement National) stated via Twitter, “This vulgarity & this violence of President of Republic prove that him never considered himself president of all Frenchpeople.”

Fabien Russel, leader of France’s Communist Party called Macrons comments “unworthy” and “irresponsible.”

Stephan Troussel is a Socialist Party member and said Macron was playing with fire.

Interview with Le ParisienMacron stated that he will not force people to get vaccinated. He said that he encourages people to have their Covid shots and that it is important to limit the number of people who are not vaccinated to access social activities.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control data shows that 73% to 70% of French people are currently fully vaccinated. A third dose has been administered to 34.3%.

Just months ahead of a crucial presidential election in France, the latest debate on vaccine mandates occurs. The polls will open in April. Macron has yet to say if he’ll seek a second mandate but it is expected that he will run again.