An opinion study on Laurent Wauquiez, financed by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, reported to the courts

The socialist opposition group said it had reported a contract concluded by the local authority with the research company Mediascopie to the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office.

Laurent Wauquiez will have to explain himself. A study on the image of the leader of the Republicans, financed by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in 2021 while he was campaigning to be re-elected as its leader, was the subject of a report to the courts after the leak of a report from the Regional Court of Auditors (CRC). The socialist opposition group announced on Tuesday, August 20, that it had filed a report with the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) after having become aware of this report, which has not yet been officially published.

This document does not state any“no irregularities”commented the Region which says “extremely serene” in the face of this action. The CRC report, the first extracts of which were broadcast in July, highlighted the expensive meals of the LR president of the region, also looks at a contract concluded by the community with the research company Mediascopie.

The company had to analyze “in real time” the impact of interviews given by Laurent Wauquiez to various media outlets. For 6,000 euros, Mediascopie studied the reception of comments made on BFMTV in March 2021, according to a version of the report posted online by Lyon Capitale. However, the study, carried out during the regional election campaign, detailed the political affiliations of those surveyed and “allowed the candidate’s remarks to be refined according to the reactions of a given political group”note the regional auditors.

She presented “a personal political interest for the person concerned, but not necessarily a local public interest”they conclude, judging her “problematic”After reading this report, the socialist elected representatives wrote to the PNF asking it to include these new elements in the investigation opened in 2022, following revelations about a lavish dinner organized at the Region’s expense.

The PNF is also interested in possibly fictitious mission manager jobs at the Regional Council. “Once again, Laurent Wauquiez is using public money for personal purposes”accused the leader of the socialist opposition Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, for whom the CRC report throws “a dim light on the supposed equality of opportunity of candidates before the voters”.

A spokesperson for the Region denounced a “attempt to instrumentalize justice” and assured that the Court had only made “recommendations” to improve the management of the community’s communications budget. Elected LR deputy during the early legislative elections, Laurent Wauquiez must soon resign from the presidency of the Regional Council, in accordance with the rules on the non-accumulation of mandates.