Anything but a surprise. Former Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Wednesday to “unite behind the only possible choice” by voting for Emmanuel Macron in the first round of the presidential election. “Like many Republicans of all stripes, I will vote for Emmanuel Macron from April 10,” wrote in a column published on his accounts the former head of government of François Hollande (2014-2016), who had already voted for the current president in the first round in 2017.
This new support, “responsible and demanding”, is announced just after that of another Prime Minister, this one from the right, Jean-Pierre Raffarin and while the President of the Republic, who will speak at 20 hours on the war in Ukraine, has until the end of the week to declare. “Never before has France had to face such great challenges calling into question, internally, its indivisibility and, externally, its unique place in Europe and in the world. Faced with the risks on the horizon, let’s unite behind the only possible choice, ”argues Mr. Valls in this forum.
Recompose the political system
He also puts forward “political reasons”, believing that “this campaign sheds a glaring light on the bankruptcies of the two political families which have long structured our democratic life”. “Locked in a systematic opposition, eager for revenge, left and right, disoriented by the degagism and the implosion of the system in 2017, have not been able to renew themselves”, criticizes the one who had been a majority deputy for more than a year in 2017 before trying his luck at the municipal elections in Barcelona.
He says he has “respect and esteem for Anne Hidalgo and Valérie Pécresse”, “both deeply republican”, but “unfortunately hostages of the mistakes of their camp”. “If, as I wish, the President of the Republic is re-elected, he will have to give new meaning to his second term in order to finally reduce the French divisions and reconcile the people with politics”, however warns Mr. Valls.
“It will take a majority with deeper roots, both ideological and local, in order to no longer leave the President alone with the people”, he believes, adding that “a powerful republican pole will have to emerge in what will have to be a real recomposition in order to stabilize our political system”.