“He is an honest man, I do not believe him capable of violence against women”said Stanislas Guerini, general delegate of La République en Marche (LREM), Wednesday May 18 on franceinfo, about Jérôme Peyrat, candidate of the presidential majority for the legislative elections in the fourth district of Dordogne who was sentenced for violence against a former girlfriend.
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This former adviser to Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace was sentenced in September 2020 to a suspended fine of 3,000 euros in a case of violence against an ex-companion. “I took the time to read the expected [du jugement]to understand, to know if deep down we could have someone who could be capable of voluntary violence, I believe and I am even infinitely convinced that it was not the case”ensures Stanislas Guerini.
“If I had the conviction or even the suspicion that we have to do with someone who could be violent and guilty of violence against women, I would never have accepted this nomination”he insisted, while LREM activists from Dordogne publicly challenged this investiture, and showed their support for the outgoing LREM deputy for this constituency, Jacqueline Dubois.
The latter has decided to run for the legislative elections next June even if it has not been invested by Renaissance (ex-LaRem).“I took the time to reflect and rediscover the energy of the beginnings, and I endorse this sentence from Elisabeth Borne, nothing should hinder the place of women in our society”, said Jacqueline Dubois at the microphone of France Bleu Périgord. For the dissenting candidate, “Mr. Peyrat’s candidacy weakens La République en Marche, his honor would be to withdraw. He made a triple mistake, underestimating the impact of his conviction, the second is the betrayal of a friendship, the third is to underestimate myself.”
“By my words, I never want to give the impression that we could prevent women’s freedom of speech, that we could prevent the judicialization of cases when there is intramarital violence, and at the same time, I want that we can look at things in their complexity”insists Stanislas Guerini. “In this case, in this case, there was an argument, two convictions, on both sides and I believe that we can respect that”, argues Stanislas Guerini. The ex-companion of Jérôme Peyrat “was also condemned”, he explains. According to France Bleu, she received fines of 500 and 800 euros for malicious calls and SMS to Jérôme Peyrat and relatives.
“I fully respect the court decision which is not a decision of ineligibility.”
Stanislas Guerini, general delegate of LREMat franceinfo
Jerome Peyrat “has already represented himself in an election, was re-elected in his town hall in the first round [celle La Roque Gageac, en Dordogne]he will do it again and he will submit to the judgment of the French, the only valid one, through an election”he said.