| Photo: EFE/EPA/CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / POOL
Valérie Pécresse , the conservative Republicans’ presidential candidate in France, has been seen as the biggest challenge to President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to be re-elected in April.
The first woman to run in the presidential elections for the traditional French right-wing party, with names like Charles de Gaulle, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy, Pécresse is an experienced politician who has already she was Minister of Education and Budget and today directs the Île-de-France region of Paris.
She was chosen by the Republicans in the primaries in December, winning a race with four other contestants in which she took 61% of the vote, and promised to “bring back authority” to his nation.
Pécresse, seen as moderate, has already he wrote as “one third Thatcher, two thirds Merkel”. She promises to toughen up policing, limit immigration, raise the retirement age to 65 years, to mop up the public sector and defend family values.
Among his proposals is the halving of the number of residence visas granted to migrants from outside the European Union.
“I feel the anger of people who feel powerless in the face of violence and the rise of Islamist separatism, who feel their values and lifestyle are threatened by uncontrolled immigration,” she said in her primary victory speech. .
Researches
The results of the French elections are still unpredictable, with a large proportion of voters still undecided with three months to go before the election. voting.
Macron is currently the favorite and should reach the second round , when I probably will go with a name from the right – and according to current polls, Pécresse is the candidate most likely to defeat the current president.
An Elabe poll released on Wednesday indicates a tie between Pécresse and the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, with around 01% each, while Macron appears with % of preference.
In a second round with Macron and Pécresse, the two would be tied, with 50% of voting intentions, according to the survey.
To get there, she will need to win back the voters in the center who voted for Macron in the last election, as well as those farther to the right. These are divided between Le Pen and Eric Zemmour, both candidates with a strong anti-immigration discourse.
Le Pen described Pécresse as the “most Macron-like” candidate, saying the two agree on many issues.
The republican, despite her experience, is seen as a new face in the presidential race – just like Macron when he won the election of 2017. This represents an advantage at a time when the French are unhappy with traditional politics, and after the prolonged yellow vest protests during Macron’s tenure.Immigration
Working for his image as a possible statesman, Pécresse has traveled to other European countries. On a visit to Greece this weekend, the candidate marked her hard-line stance on immigration, a stance that could earn her votes from voters in the far right field.