There were five of them at the start line. There are only two left. Eric Ciotti and Valérie Pécresse obtained respectively 25.59% and 25% votes, Thursday, December 2, during the first ballot for the LR nomination for the 2022 presidential election.
>> LR Congress: follow all reactions live with franceinfo
The two former ministers of Nicolas Sarkozy have managed to get ahead of their competitors and must now decide, in a second round which takes place until Saturday. While waiting to know how the supporters of Michel Barnier (23.93%), Xavier Bertrand (22.36%) and Philippe Juvin (3.13%) will postpone their votes, franceinfo is interested in the differences in programs between the two candidates. Even if they are sometimes tenuous.
On purchasing power
Valerie Pécresse wants an increase in wages, by betting on a reduction in social contributions for the middle and working classes. “My big measure for purchasing power is to revalue income from work, wages, by 10%, and to ensure that work pays”, detailed the candidate on franceinfo. This decision costs around 20 billion euros, which it wishes to finance in particular through savings with the abolition of “nearly 200,000 jobs” in administration. She also calls for “to reconcile labor and capital” by developing employee participation in listed groups.
The president of the Ile-de-France region also proposes, in her program, to create “a system of tax-free donations every six years, up to 100,000 euros from grandparents and parents”, “doubling the home assistance tax credit to help care for children and dependent elderly people” and aim for 2030 “the payment of a minimum contribution equal to the net minimum wage” for retired people.
For his part, Eric Ciotti relies on lower taxes to improve the purchasing power of the French. But his detractors accuse him of targeting especially the wealthiest. The deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes proposes in particular the abolition of the inheritance and gift tax, “a tax on death”, the exit of the main residence from the framework of the tax on real estate wealth (the device which replaced the ISF) and the exemption of real estate capital gains after ten years (against twenty-two years currently).
Finally, he proposes to replace income tax by a “flat tax” at the single rate of 15%. “We have the world record for compulsory deductions, it is no longer bearable, because it has led some to leave our country”, he assumes on franceinfo. According to its program (PDF link), he also advocates a reduction in contributions for “to bring the net salary closer to the gross salary for the French earning less than 3,000 euros per month”.
On health issues
Valerie Pécresse believes that the pandemic has revealed “a breathless hospital, held at arm’s length by committed, but exhausted caregivers”. It therefore proposes the recruitment of 25,000 caregivers over a five-year period and a right to priority housing for caregivers. To fight against medical desertification, it also wants the creation of a scholarship for doctors working for ten years in a medical desert.
As she details in her program, she also wishes “debureaucratize” the operation of the hospital for the benefit of the head doctors. It offers a method of financing more focused on the quality of care, in particular with the publication of evaluations and patient suggestions. “We will not save the States General of health if we come to power in April”, warns the candidate.
In its program, Eric Ciotti first of all proposes to fight against medical deserts by doubling the number of trained doctors, by developing medical homes and emergency structures, and by voting a tax exemption plan to support the installation of young practitioners. Like his opponent for the nomination, he wishes “debureaucratize health”, by redirecting resources from the administrative to the operational and by appointing doctors to head hospitals.
The member for the Alpes-Maritimes also wants a cancer plan and an Alzheimer’s plan. He also proposes to upgrade liberal medicine by removing the obligation to apply third-party payment. “Health has a cost, but it shouldn’t be a price”, he estimated on France 2, ensuring that a visit to a general practitioner brings less to the doctor than “cut at a hairdresser”.
About security
“Before talking about sanctions, we need an Orsec plan for justice”, pleads Valerie Pécresse. It proposes to increase the resources of the courts by 50% over five years (i.e. three billion euros) in order to renovate buildings, provide IT resources and recruit 16,000 people, including “3,000 judges, 3,000 clerks and 2,000 prosecutors”. It also proposes to simplify the criminal procedure, in particular to reduce trial times, and to “systematize immediate or short-term appearances for flagrant offenses”.
The elected Ile-de-France also offers closed correctional centers, “with incarceration of detainees under electronic wristbands to ensure the execution of short sentences”. It also wants to double the number of closed educational centers for minors and eventually open 20,000 prison places. It thus sets itself the objective of ensuring the execution of sentences within three months. Finally, she wants to put in place an aggravating circumstance when a crime or an offense is committed in one of the 62 republican reconquest districts. But according to constitutional expert Jean-Philippe Derosier, the measure is not applicable in France today. “We cannot territorialize sentences, the law is the same for everyone”, he explains to The mountain.
In terms of security, Eric Ciotti don’t skimp on budgets. He proposes “25 billion euros more over five years for the police and for justice”. The investment will notably make it possible to reach 100,000 prison places in 2027 (ie 34,000 additional and 5,000 in prefabricated). It also intends to create 3,000 magistrate posts and 3,000 judicial assistant posts. To distribute these new resources, he wants the creation of a large Ministry of Internal Security.
Behind the slogan “zero impunity”, Eric Ciotti also intends to raise the standard fine for drug use to 1,000 euros, hospitalize “under duress drug addicts installed in the street”, restore the minimum sentences and introduce a real life sentence “for those who pose lasting threats to society”. He also wants a “French Guantanamo” to fight terrorism, as he claims in an interview with Point (subscribers article). Finally, the deputy proposes to lower the penal majority to 16 years (against 18 currently), to double the closed educational centers and to “abolish family allowances for parents whose children do not respect the values of the Republic”.
On immigration
Valerie Pécresse wants a constitutional law to establish “quotas by business and by country”. She no longer wants “automatic right of the ground” at 18, but “an act of will and a guarantee of assimilation”. She plans to put pressure on countries that refuse to take back their illegal nationals, by threatening to end the issuance of entry visas. She wants asylum requests to be lodged in French embassies in countries of origin.
In its program, it also proposes to presume of age any “unaccompanied minor” who refuses a bone test, to strengthen and control the conditions of family reunification, to abolish social assistance for undocumented migrants, to refocus medical aid for State (AME) on the only emergencies and to expel from the territory any person in an irregular situation representing a serious threat, unless they are not brought to justice. For the elected Ile-de-France, obtaining a residence permit must also be conditional on mastery of French.
Eric Ciotti proposes to consult the French by referendum from June 2022 to validate a reorientation of the principles of French migration policy. In particular, he wants to restore the right to blood and abolish the right to the soil, and wants the return of the double penalty, that is to say the possibility of expelling a foreigner who has just served his prison sentence (a measure which no longer exists. ‘has never been deleted).
The deputy for Alpes-Maritimes also proposes the end of family reunification, the exit from the Schengen area, the establishment “a point-based migration permit issued under conditions” and the “national and European priority applied to public and private jobs, social housing and non-distributive social allowances”.
On the fight against Islamism
Valerie Pécresse puts on the table a battery of measures in order to fight against Islamism. She wishes “penalize the wearing of the forced veil”, “expel all foreigners whose behavior participates in radical Islamism registered in the anti-terrorism files “ or “put in place detention measures for radicalized terrorists, at the end of their prison sentences”. More original, it proposes to use technology with facial recognition at the entrance of public transport to cross the results with the anti-terrorism files. Finally, she wishes “make radicalization a reason for dismissal or dismissal for real and serious cause, in the private as in the public sector”.
Eric Ciotti also wishes to fight against Islamism, in particular by adding the mention of the Judeo-Christian roots of France in the Constitution. He also wants to complete the motto of the Republic with the word “secularism” and prohibit the Islamic veil. “for minors and accompanying persons at school, in public services, at the university and in polling stations”.
On ecology
The two candidates recognize a disruption or even a climate emergency, but their proposals for dealing with it differ. Valerie Pécresse wish “take up the climate challenge, but without punishing the French”. She believes that France is not on the right path to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050. She therefore wants to save 25% in energy and increase electricity production by 60% with the construction of six EPRs and renewable energies. “No wind turbines if there is opposition from the populations, but on the other hand, when it works (…) there is no reason to deprive ourselves of it”, explained the candidate on France 2. She therefore proposes to halve onshore wind power, but to maintain marine wind power and photovoltaics.
It also proposes to create a carbon tax at the borders of the European Union, to introduce “a European preference” with carbon clauses in all public and private contracts, to decarbonize transport or even mobilize citizens with the establishment of an “Ecological Reserve” “to carry out systematic cleaning plans for each protected natural space”.
Eric Ciotti wishes to continue the nuclear program with six new EPRs as well, but intends to put an end to wind projects, “unless there is local consent”. It also proposes a large national plan for the development of “clean” energies (hydrogen and electricity), a carbon tax at the border of the European Union to tax polluting States and the declaration as national heritage of hydraulic dams. “Only investment, progress and science will enable our society to meet the challenge of ecological transition”, he believes in his program.