Emmanuel Macron "presented to us a project of denial and counterfeiting", affirmed the candidate LR during a public meeting in Nîmes, assuring her: "who says counterfeit says bad copy".

Taking up point by point several proposals presented in the afternoon for four hours by its competitor, she wondered: "Who said that we needed a work counterparty at the RSA? It's us".

The president-candidate wishes to impose between 15 and 20 hours of work on the beneficiaries and Mrs. Pécresse 15 hours.

On energy "who talked about nuclear again? it's us", she added, accusing the president, who like her wants to build six EPRs, of having "closed Fessenheim".

As for retirement at 65, "would he have had the courage to say it if I hadn't said it before?"

Referring Emmanuel Macron to his balance sheet which "is his ball", she quipped: "he explained to us that Macron candidate was going to do the opposite of what President Macron had done".

After unveiling his project "will he have the courage to do it? That's another matter".

Because the candidate, very late in the polls which place her 4th or 5th, wants to instil this idea: "the courage to do it is us, it is we who are going to make these reforms and it is we who are going to win this election".

In his camp, we do not hesitate to mock the loans of the president-candidate: "bad transcription" for the deputy LR Julien Aubert, "no backbone" for one of his spokespersons Guilhem Carayon ... LR has briefly published on Twitter a photomontage of Emmanuel Macron described as "man-photocopier".

"transgress"

If she criticizes the "lack of imagination of a candidate who will transplant the ideas of others", Valérie Pécresse assures her however: "objectively, this is not the subject. The subject is the enormous differences between us “on authority, debt or purchasing power, she says.

At a time when rumors of Nicolas Sarkozy's support for Emmanuel Macron are resurfacing, the risk is that the outgoing president will appear as the "useful vote" on the right, especially since he is at more than 30% in the polls while Valérie Pécresse is getting dangerously close to the 10% mark.

Valérie Pécresse, LR presidential candidate, during a meeting in Nîmes, March 17, 2022 Pascal GUYOT AFP

"30% was before he presented his project", wants to believe the candidate LR, who judges the week "not very good for him" between "a tailor-made debate" on Monday and a press conference on Thursday " essentially technical".

“Emmanuel Macron has gained five points in 15 days, he can lose five points in 15 days”, we are assured in his entourage, stressing that for the macronie Valérie Pécresse “remains the woman to be slaughtered, even at 10%, and it may not be a coincidence".

The idea is that candidate LR would remain the only one capable of beating the head of state if she reached the second round.

But how to reverse the trend in 25 days, when Emmanuel Macron refuses any debate?

"The closer we get to the election, the more the French will want the debate", we assure those around him, warning against the "cluster bomb" of a "lack of legitimacy".

Also "we put a lot on the collective, the field, it is a local campaign, it is not immediately reflected in the polls but it will be seen. People will say that the useful vote is Pécresse", estimates one of his supporters, assuring: "you have to take risks, try everything, dare, transgress".

Valérie Pécresse, LR presidential candidate, after a meeting in Nîmes, March 17, 2022 Pascal GUYOT AFP

"We have nothing more to lose. The French like outsiders, politicians who take blows..." he adds.

On Friday, the candidate will continue her trip to La Grande-Motte and Toulouse before going to Vannes on Saturday.

© 2022 AFP