Paris (AFP)

"Totally determined", the president (ex-LR) of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand on Wednesday formalized his candidacy for the 2022 presidential election on a line of "social and popular right", cutting short the idea of ​​primaries in his camp.

"Yes, I will be a candidate. (...) I am totally determined", told the weekly Le Point M. Bertrand, whose candidacy had little doubt since he had been repeating since the summer to "prepare" for the presidential election.

In his river interview, the former minister, 56, defends his vision of "a proud, recovered and reconciled France" to which he promises to "restore the authority of the State, turn the page on Parisian centralism and redo of work the keystone of our national project ".

Several other candidates have already officially entered the race for the Elysée, including Marine Le Pen (RN) and Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI).

In the wake of his message of regal firmness developed this fall, Mr. Bertrand promises that the "first act" of his mandate would be to "present the French with a five-year programming law for their security".

He also proposes to "lower to 15 years the age of criminal majority", to introduce "automatic minimum sentences" and to build 20,000 prison places.

"The social right that I embody wants order and justice", insists the former minister of Nicolas Sarkozy for whom The value of work "must once again become the essential, the cement of the nation"

On immigration, he promises to "regain control" and economically assures that "there will be no increase in compulsory levies".

Mr. Bertrand, for whom the yellow vests crisis is "not an accident" but "a final warning", also believes, three months from the regional, that it is necessary "to establish the Republic of the territories".

"My duty is to beat Marine Le Pen and do everything to bring the French together," he sums up.

According to a recent Ifop poll for Marianne, in the second round Xavier Bertrand would beat Marine Le Pen with 57% of the vote.

But the same survey credits him with only 14% of the vote in the first round, 10 points behind Emmanuel Macron and 14 over Marine Le Pen.

- "Ambitions" -

Even if it is not surprising, this announcement risks reviving tensions within a right still recovering after two presidential failures.

Because the former Minister of Health assures him: "I will not participate in a primary" of the right.

LR management is hostile to this method of appointment which has left marks, and hopes that a natural candidate will eventually emerge.

Some, like the boss of deputies Damien Abad or the number 2 of the party Guillaume Peltier did not hide their benevolence for Mr. Bertrand - who, however, left LR in 2017.

But other potential presidential candidates see it differently.

The president of Ile-de-France Valérie Pécresse (also ex-LR) pleaded Sunday for a "primary as open as possible", and the leader of senators LR Bruno Retailleau assured last week that "the primary is democracy ".

Other tenors with more or less avowed ambitions have also recalled Wednesday evening to the good memories of their camp: "I do not know what will happen, but I do not want to be a spectator", said Laurent Wauquiez to the Parisian, while Michel Barnier assured the Ebra group that "yes without hesitation" he kept "the strength" to embark on a campaign.

"The time is not for personal ambitions but for listening to the French, with respect," added the former EU negotiator for Brexit.

For Xavier Bertrand the equation is simple: "My political family has many talents, and I will bring them all together around my project".

The announcement was freshly received by its opponents in the regional, in full resurgence of the Covid epidemic.

"Xavier Bertrand flaunts his personal ambitions", mocked Laurent Pietrasweski (LREM), while Sébastien Chenu (RN) estimated that "for him, Hauts-de-France are only a springboard" by denouncing a qualified candidacy of "insulting the inhabitants" of the region.

© 2021 AFP