Municipal: in Lyon, Collomb withdraws its candidacy and joins forces with the Republicans

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Political thunderclap in Lyon. Outgoing mayor La République en Marche Gérard Collomb signs an alliance with the right for the second round of municipal elections. Widely distanced in the first round, the former Minister of the Interior and close to Emmanuel Macron gave way to Senator Les Républicains François-Noël Buffet at the top of the list for the metropolis but for the city of Lyon, it is the candidate walker, Yann Cucherat, who will lead the list.

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The mayor of Lyon Gérard Collomb announced this Thursday an alliance with the right, which sees him fading behind the candidate LR François-Noël Buffet for the strategic presidency of the metropolis. "  I proposed from our first meeting that François-Noël Buffet be a candidate for the metropolis of Lyon,  " said Gérard Collomb during a press conference. "  Today, we want a union to face the crisis and allow the reconstruction of Lyon - a union which we hope will widen in the coming days  ," he added.

Unique in France, the metropolis is the real seat of the Lyonnais power insofar as it concentrates on its territory the prerogatives of the department and the communities of commune. His presidency was the initial objective of Mr. Collomb who carried it to the baptismal font. But his poor score in the first round made this ambition almost impossible.

Dizanie in Macronie

With this surprise alliance, Gérard Collomb wants to beat the environmentalists but sows discord in Macronie and has been disowned by his own political family. A few hours after the announcement, the boss of Walkers Stanislas Guérini published a statement saying that he does not “  endorse this agreement with the right. Gérard Collomb has crossed the red line  ”.

The alliance of a historic walker with the right to block environmentalists is a symbol with disastrous effect for La République en Marche, in particular because Gérard Collomb is one of the political sponsors of President Emmanuel Macron and that it is  just one more penknife in the promise of “at the same time” . The head of state also hopes to win back leftist voters who voted for him in 2017. In particular, by making ecology a priority.

Gérard Collomb specifies that he did not warn Emmanuel Macron - of which he is however close. "  He can't [ condemn ] me , " he says. He has a Prime Minister who is not really socialist  ”, with reference to Edouard Philippe from the right. At 72, the former socialist Gérard Collomb seems to take pleasure in finding that he can still shake up French political life.

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• France
• French politics
• 2020 municipal elections