The former presidential candidate Les Républicains, Valérie Pécresse had launched an appeal for donations to fill the hole of five million euros left by her defeat in the presidential election. She, according to her entourage, refused the money from Nicolas Sarkozy, who had never supported her during the campaign.
The former President of the Republic had made, about ten days ago, a bank transfer of a 4-figure sum (without reaching the legal limit of 4,600 euros) in favor of the President of the Ile-de-France Region. -France. But this one had it re-credited during the day, indicated Thursday, May 5, 2022 to AFP the entourage of Valérie Pécresse, confirming information from Politico. “She does not ask for charity, but solidarity and friendship. She’s a woman of honor“, explained this source.
This reversal illustrates the extent to which the gap between Nicolas Sarkozy and the one who was his Minister of Education continued to widen during the presidential campaign, where he never gave him his support. According to comments reported in the press, the former head of state, who cultivates a closeness with Emmanuel Macron, was very harsh towards the candidate: “non-existent”, “Valerie didn’t understand anything“, “she would do well to quote me“… Remaining silent before the first round, he decided on April 12 to call for Emmanuel Macron to vote in the second round, without a word for his former minister.
Digesting her 4.78% of votes she obtained – and which she explains by the weight of the vote useful to face the extremes, Valérie Pécresse then got down to another campaign for which she has just had a shot reminder: that of a collection of money to reimburse its campaign costs since it was under the 5% necessary to obtain a reimbursement. She clarified that she was “personally indebted to the tune of five million euros“.
She harvestedapproximately 2.5 million donations“, said Christian Jacob, the president of the party Les Républicains (LR). “The party will bring eight million euros for a campaign that had cost 15 million“, specified the politician, judging that this call for donations from the candidate had been “understood by many French people“. The others remain shocked by his request for financial assistance or laughed at it, as did the former market operator and protagonist of the losses of the Société Générale, Jérôme Kerviel. The leader of the Résistons! movement, the atypical politician Jean Lassalle made him a check for 10 euros.
Thanks, but no thanks
Returning the checks to the sender is also what the ecologist Julien Bayou did. Edouard Philippe, former Prime Minister who launched his Horizons party, had donated 500 euros to Europe Ecology the Greens, indicates The Obs. They also received the 10 euros from Jean Lassalle, without cashing it, specifies the weekly which adds that national secretary of EELV rather advised the future former Béarnais deputy to make a donation to a feminist association. An allusion to the accusations of certain women against politics.