At Les Républicains, the match for the 2027 presidential election is already underway between Wauquiez and Bertrand | EUROtoday

For one morning, Laurent Wauquiez put apart the immersion visits he has been finishing up for a number of months, alone with a pocket book, to “take the pulse of the country”. On Wednesday March 27, the president of Les Républicains (LR) of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes area made a visit with François-Xavier Bellamy, head of the LR record within the European elections of June 9, within the marketing campaign to Oullins-Pierre-Bénite (Rhône ). The two males spoke with municipal cops and residents concerning the troublesome combat towards drug trafficking on this city within the Lyon suburbs.

During this sequence the place the correct tries to indicate a line of firmness towards the drug sellers, Mr. Wauquiez takes the chance to crush Gerald Darmanin And “the communications operations of the Minister of the Interior ” on the subject. The elected official, who has national ambitions – in October 2023, he said he wanted to engage the right “towards great collective success” in the 2027 presidential election – thus plays its role as opponent of the government. Before letting go: “I am not president [de la République]… for the moment. » At the foot of a block of buildings, the fraction of a second between the two parts of the sentence takes on the appearance of eternity. ” For the second “, repeats Eric Ciotti smiling at his side, a little tense. The president of LR may well present his “dear Laurent” as “the natural candidate” of his camp, it is better to avoid skipping steps.

Because not everyone on the right is of this opinion. In particular Xavier Bertrand, who showed that he did not want to step aside in front of Mr. Wauquiez, on February 3, when he told West France to have “well intentioned” to run for president. Saturday March 23, the LR president of Hauts-de-France was present at Mr. Bellamy's meeting, in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis), for the launch of the party's campaign for the European elections. But he arrived late for his party leader's speech, as a preamble. Everything but a coincidence for those close to Mr. Wauquiez, who saw it as a voluntary delay. In the family photo, MM. Wauquiez and Bertrand are separated by four party leaders. An essential safety distance when rivalry turns into hostility.

Permanent breakup

“They need to talk to each other. » How many times have LR executives implored a peace of the brave? Today, no one believes in the great reconciliation. At the beginning of March, there was indeed this furtive handshake at the Agricultural Show. But not enough to serve a decade of resentment. “Bertrand has Wauquiez psychosis and refuses any outstretched hand”deplores a relative of the second. “Which outstretched hand? »retorts the previous Minister of Labor.

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