Paris (AFP)

President Les Républicains du Senate Gérard Larcher said on Sunday that he saw "no problem" with a right-wing candidate who did not come from his party like Valérie Pécresse or Xavier Bertrand, reaffirming not to be in the ranks.

Asked on BFMTV about the lack of labels of these two outgoing region presidents, potential candidates for the Republican nomination for 2022, Mr Larcher replied: "It's really no problem, I want to bring the families together from the right and the center, I dialogue with everyone ".

"I chair the support committee for Valérie Pécresse for the regional election in Île-de-France, this is to tell you that I judge the policy she leads of very high quality. But there are other candidates, the president of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand, Bruno Retailleau ... ", he enumerated.

Gérard Larcher re-explained the appointment procedure chosen by LR: "Either there is a candidate who naturally wins, after the regional and departmental ones, or we set up what I called the tie-breaker. I'm working on it, we will see in June ".

Asked about his possible candidacy, he ruled: "Not at all, I am not a candidate for the presidential election, my only wish is to be able to open an alternative to the only duel between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron ".

Mr Larcher also welcomed the return to France of Michel Barnier, who has just negotiated Brexit for the European Commission: "He is returning to our political family, it is very important, he has been tremendously successful on Brexit".

© 2021 AFP