Toulouse (AFP)
Romain Grau, candidate of the Republic on the march, arrived in 4th position in the 1st round of municipal elections in Perpignan, announced Thursday his withdrawal in order to "block" the deputy RN Louis Aliot, who came largely ahead in the 1st round.
"I can not bring myself to see the National Rally of Mr. Aliot make our city a laboratory of populist ideology of the far right as he has been announcing for several years already," said the deputy for the Pyrenees Orientales, in a text sent to AFP.
"Republican withdrawal is, in my eyes, today the only way to block Mr. Aliot", continues this 45-year-old lawyer, companion of Emmanuel Macron's promotion at the ENA.
During the first round on March 15, Louis Aliot, who presented himself without a label, won 35.6% of the vote, ahead of outgoing LR mayor Jean-Marc Pujol (18.4%), the ecologist Agnès Langevine (14, 5%) and Romain Grau (13%).
Will MP LREM's decision be the beginning of a broad republican front against Louis Aliot as in 2014? The ecologist Agnès Langevine, who came in 3rd position, should decide on Friday about her intentions for the second round.
Mr. Pujol and Ms. Langevine invited each other to withdraw, each considering themselves the best candidate to defeat the RN.
In 2014, Mr. Pujol defeated the Lepéniste candidate in a second round, during a duel, after the withdrawal of the socialist candidate Jacques Cresta.
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