Presidential 2022: Republicans go round in circles on the primary – archyworldys

They were some 1,600 young members of the Les Républicains (LR) party to go, Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September, to the Parc floral de Paris to attend their “Back to school”. Coming from the four corners of France, they came to listen to debates but also to try to see more clearly on a partisan future. “Slightly fuzzy” for those who handle the understatement. Because of this weekend, the young people and even the elected officials of LR who made the trip will have learned nothing in particular about the continuation of the events on the right. Even less on the designation of their candidate for the 2022 presidential election.

The party has simply stood still for several weeks. Primary? Not primary? Few can at this stage predict what the Congress of September 25, which is normally supposed to decide this question, will give. No right-wing figure stands out in public opinion to rule out debate. Xavier Bertrand, the president of Hauts-de-France, who held the dragee high in the polls of his competitors at the beginning of the summer, saw the gap tighten. Valérie Pécresse, the boss of the Ile-de-France region, is even given a single point of difference. Former European Commissioner Michel Barnier has also gained a few points in recent days.

The scenario of assured failure

The choice for LR is therefore all the more complicated, and Xavier Bertrand’s bet more difficult to win: the former Minister of Labor relied on his lead and his dynamic to avoid a ” sharing “ in which he refuses to participate. And stand out as the obvious candidate, if not “Natural”, from his old party, which he left in 2017. Alas, in addition to the polls which now place him close to Valérie Pécresse, new competitors have declared themselves such as the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes Eric Ciotti, the entrepreneur Denis Payre, or the mayor of La Garenne-Colombe, Philippe Juvin. These three men are unable to beat the boss of Hauts-de-France, but their candidacies give grain to grind to the supporters of a primary on the right. If it were to be finally organized, and Mr. Bertrand still refused to compete, the right could end up with two competing candidates for 2022. The scenario of an almost assured failure.

Questioned under the sun of the Parc Floral, many young activists lean more in favor of a tie-breaker system, not attracted by the candidacy of Xavier Bertrand. His photo was even copiously booed on Saturday morning when it appeared in the middle of that of the regional winners. Conversely, Laurent Wauquiez, the boss of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, who has however given up on presenting himself, has received numerous applause. A scene that recurred the next day, Sunday, when he appeared among the young LR. Valérie Pécresse, she tried a show of force, Saturday evening, by inviting herself to the aperitif organized by the party. She wanted to show her closeness to the members of a training that she also left in 2019.

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