Among Republicans, debacle of Valérie Pécresse in first round of presidential election awakens spectrum

The right candidate announced that she would vote in “consciousness” for Emmanuel Macron to bare in Marine Le Pen. A position that is not unanimous in the party.

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What does she think at this moment? It is 19 hours, Sunday, April 10, on the second floor of the house of Chemistry, in Paris. Surrounded by a handful of caciques of the Republicans (LR), Valérie Pécresse knows that she lost, without still knowing her score.

In front of his supports, including Michel Barnier, Christian Jacob, Gérard Larcher, Bruno Retail or Annie Genevard, the candidate of LR admits him: she failed to loosen the vise between the extreme right and Emmanuel Macron , who has asphyxiate it. “The helpful vote has siphoned us,” she adds, to worry about the fate of LR members promised legislative legislative in June. “You are well beaten,” encouraged his faithful, applauding it.

The first estimates, placing it in fifth place, around 5%, fell a little later at 7:40 pm Even at Versailles, his fief, the candidate is less well than the candidate of the Union Popular Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

From his story, never the right had made a score as low. Valérie Pécresse is almost twice as François-Xavier Bellamy in the European elections of 2019, already one of the worst camouflets of the history of LR. It’s a shock. A humiliation. And the insurance of terrible turbulence for a ribbed political family. And suspended.

“A personal and collective disappointment”

In Paris, in the great room where some 200 activists are waiting, on the first floor of the house of chemistry, it is the consternation. “A catastrophe”, admits without detour the member for Vaucluse Julien Aubert. Emine, Valérie Pécresse – who retouched his speech after understanding that she went down below 5% – announced that she would vote in “consciousness” for Emmanuel Macron, to prevent the arrival of the candidate of the national rally (Rn) Marine Le Pen and “the resulting chaos”.

Three days earlier, Friday on France Inter, she had slipped she would give no voting instruction. The one who recalled his “commitment against the extremes”, quoting his mentor Jacques Chirac, finally decided otherwise, strongly encouraging his constituents to follow it. “I do not own the votes that have worn on my name. But I ask the voters and the electors who honored me with their confidence, to weigh in the days that come with gravity, the potentially disastrous consequences for our country And for future generations of any different choice of mine they would consider for the second round, “she launched, evoking” a personal and collective disappointment “.

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/Media reports.