Paris (AFP)

The Republicans chose on Wednesday the former mayor of Bordeaux Nicolas Florian to lead the battle of the regional in New Aquitaine, and the mayor of Vitré Isabelle Le Callenec in Brittany, said the National Investiture Commission.

The CNI chose the deputy of the Indre Nicolas Forissier for the Center-Val-de-Loire region, that the number two of the party Guillaume Peltier finally gave up running.

Nicolas Forissier will face the outgoing president of the region, the socialist François Bonneau.

In Aquitaine Nicolas Florian was finally convinced despite his surprise defeat in the last municipal elections (close to 1,346 votes) against the ecologist Pierre Hurmic.

For some in his party, this close to Juppé had then paid the price for his last-minute alliance with LREM.

In this region chaired since 1998 by the socialist Alain Rousset, EELV has already appointed Nicolas Thierry, vice-president of the region, who could challenge the leadership of the outgoing left.

The RN will advance behind the regional councilor Edwige Diaz.

The presidential majority is preparing to appoint the Modem Minister of Veterans Geneviève Darrieussecq, former mayor of Mont-de-Marsan and former member of the Landes, who has favored alliances with the right in the region.

In Brittany, another "land of conquest" for the right, the choice of Ms. Le Callenec is not a surprise.

She herself announced her candidacy "with one priority: economic development and employment", "one requirement: the protection of our environment" and "a strong conviction: social cohesion".

"There is no discussion with the UDI. But our list will still be made up of centrist personalities," Ms. Le Callenec told France 3 at the end of January, specifying that Marc Le Fur, head of the list in 2015, had "come (him) to offer leadership" to represent the right in Brittany.

She will face the socialist Loïg Chesnais-Girard, successor to Jean-Yves Le Drian, and the president of the RN group Gilles Pernelle, responsible for the federations of Marine Le Pen's party, as well as the unlabeled Thierry Burlot, vice-president in charge of the 'Environment in the region and ex-PS supported by LREM, UDI and Modem.

The Republicans had already invested in September one of their vice-presidents, Gilles Platret, for the regional in Burgundy-France-County in the hope of removing the region to the left.

© 2021 AFP