Republican activists began voting to nominate their presidential candidate on Wednesday, December 1, opening a four-day electronic ballot that promises to be tight. Michel Barnier, Xavier Bertrand, Eric Ciotti, Valérie Pécresse and the outsider Philippe Juvin present themselves at this congress, the winner of which will be known on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The first round opened at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and is due to end at 2 p.m. on Thursday. The second will take place from Friday 8 am to Saturday 2 pm. A press conference will follow each time.
On the practical side, the party has done everything to secure the process, entrusted to the Neovote platform. “Each voter must provide a mobile number, an email address and a postal address to be able to vote”, recalls the President of the Republicans, Christian Jacob. The majority of federations also have a physical voting point in support.
The vote promises to be very open, each of the four main candidates being able to claim the second round, especially as the approach of the congress has attracted new members. A total of 140,000 people will be able to vote. They were 4 million in 2016, but it was then an open primary where each voter, for 2 euros and a profession of faith, could participate.
Before the end of the official campaign on Tuesday evening, the candidates had one last opportunity to present their programs in a fourth and final televised debate. Michel Barnier thus advocated a “great family policy”, Xavier Bertrand a housing aid for caregivers in tense areas, Valérie Pécresse the recruitment of 25,000 carers, and Philippe Juvin the obligation to spend a year in medical deserts.
On the economy, the former European Union negotiator for Brexit wished “reinvest in strategic companies” via a sovereign fund, while Xavier Bertrand, the only one to defend retirement at 64 (the others want 65), took up the formula of “Work more to earn more” by Nicolas Sarkozy. Eric Ciotti has put forward his plan to remove inheritance tax.
This last debate was also an opportunity to try to forget the irruption of Eric Zemmour in the countryside. The polemicist formalized his candidacy on Tuesday and will hold a meeting on Sunday at the Zénith, in Paris, the day after the results of the congress. The LR candidates are themselves kept silent until the announcement of the results of the first round, Thursday, December 2. They will have to withdraw again Thursday at 11.59pm, until the name of the winner is revealed on Saturday.