The Prime Minister has made an express visit of twenty-four hours on the island, which has strongly voted for Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Le Pen in the first round.
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A sweet orange light irises the sky of Saint-Pierre, south of the meeting, Thursday, April 14, while the sun goes down on the horizon. Jean Castex stops a few seconds to immerse yourself. It’s been more than two hours since he wanders in the middle of the crowd massed on the seafront of the Port Cité. At his side, the Mayor the Republicans (LR) of the city, Michel Fontaine. The powerful boss of the Reunion LR Federation clearly shows his support for Emmanuel Macron before the second round of the presidential election, April 24, facing Marine Le Pen. “I pledged in politics in 1969. I was Gaullist and I remain it. And the opponent of Gaullism is the far right,” he says without detour.
“The choice of meeting will sound strong in the Republic”, is convinced Mr. Castex. This is the first time since he was appointed Prime Minister, in July 2020, that he moves in the overseas. If it makes this express visit of twenty-four hours on this island of the Indian Ocean, at eleven aircraft hours from the metropolis, it is not as the leader of the Government but as the representative of the Macron candidate , at the dawn of a second round “decisive”. “The choice that is offered to the country and the meeting is cardinal,” he says, calling for “general mobilization”.
Among the vote of the ultramarines, that of the meeting and its 675,000 electors weighs heavy. If, in 2017, Mr. Macron had taken away in the second round with 60.3% of the votes to M me Le Pen, the result of April 10 has allowed a wind of anxiety, And even bitter disappointment, in macronistic ranks. Despite the support or rallying of large local elected officials, mainly from the right, the outgoing president arrived only in third position, with 18% – he is slightly declining even compared to his 2017 score -, widely Advanced by Jean-Luc Mélenchon (40.3%) and Marine Le Pen (24.7%). An angry and rejection vote, of which it is not acquired that it does not constitute an explosive cocktail in the second round.
“Living-together”
But, on the eve of Good Friday, the atmosphere on the docks of Saint-Pierre is rather to benevolence. Paré of a yellow and orange eyelet necklace offered by representatives of the Tamoule community, which celebrates its New Year, Mr. Castex takes a visible pleasure to exchange with his interlocutors. It willingly lends itself to the exercise of the selfies, even sketch some sneakers with maloya dancers at the sound of the rolling and kayamb.
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