It was expected, it is now official. The president of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), Jean-Christophe Lagarde, gave his support to Valérie Pécresse in the presidential race by wishing, in an interview at Figaro published Friday, January 21, that his movement becomes “moderate leg” of the Republican candidate.
“I will propose on Saturday, during our national council, to support Valérie Pécresse in the presidential election”, affirms Mr. Lagarde, estimating that“a new mandate for Emmanuel Macron would be dangerous for the country”. “For now, she’s just the right-wing candidate. She now needs to know, like Nicolas Sarkozy, to unite the right and the center and seek out the voters who vote for Macron”, he adds.
Because the Republican candidate “brought his political family together very well”, most “She has to get out of what would be a trap”, he explains: “The omnipresence of Eric Ciotti gives a false idea of the candidacy of Valérie Pécresse, it makes her one-legged. »
“UDI officials integrated into the organization chart”
Mr. Lagarde had already said, at the beginning of December, ready to discuss with Valérie Pécresse, while expressing an objection to an alliance with Eric Ciotti, holding the most right-wing line among the candidates for the Republican congress.
According to the president of the UDI, “We will not take voters from Eric Zemmour or Marine Le Pen. On the other hand, many people are resigned to Emmanuel Macron but would like a hope”, Who “may be called Valérie Pécresse”. For this, the president of the UDI challenged the candidate on “three challenges” what are “sovereignty, cohesion and the environment”. “If our national council votes to support Valérie Pécresse, I would like UDI officials to be integrated at all levels of the organization chart”, he also says.
Very critical of Emmanuel Macron, he believes that “it is not a virtue for an outgoing President of the Republic to pretend not to be a candidate when he is campaigning with state resources”. “As Valérie Pécresse says, he burns the cash register morning, noon and night. With absolute cynicism, to get re-elected, he is able to say anything and spend lavishly”, he accuses.
Jean-Christophe Lagarde took over as head of the UDI in 2014, succeeding Jean-Louis Borloo. Former president of the youth of the Union for French Democracy (from 1998 to 2001), he seized the city of Drancy during the municipal elections of 2001, then tipping this historic communist stronghold. On the judicial level, the leader of the centrist party is still the subject of a preliminary investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office. Also, he was sentenced in March 2021 by the Paris Court of Appeal for abusive procedure against an opposition municipal councilor from Drancy (Seine-Saint-Denis) who had denounced the clientelism of the deputy in his constituency during a reporting.