Lille (AFP)
Three new ministers, including Gérald Darmanin, have joined the LREM list for the regional ones in Hauts-de-France, the candidates announced on Friday, intending to disturb the duel announced between the outgoing president (ex-LR) Xavier Bertrand, also candidate for the presidential, and the RN.
Led by Secretary of State for Pensions Laurent Pietraszewski, the list had already welcomed on May 7 the Keeper of the Seals Eric Dupond-Moretti, who had inherited the head of the list in Pas-de-Calais.
The list filed Friday in the prefecture includes three other members of the government: the minister delegate in charge of small and medium-sized enterprises Alain Griset in third position in the North, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin in penultimate position on this same list and the Minister Delegate in charge of Industry Agnès Pannier-Runacher, which closes that of Pas-de-Calais.
In a press release, the list called "Hauts-de-France united" underlines the need to act "because this region cannot be abandoned to this terrible duel that we are being told (...) between the populism of the extreme right and the inaction of the outgoing regional executive ".
The ministers "are aware of the need for members of the government to invest in this region which needs it, which is at a standstill, which is no longer moving forward because the outgoing president is more focused on his personal objectives than on the building a large, ambitious region, "Pietraszewski told AFP.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had already announced his candidacy for departmental, in the canton of Tourcoing-2.
Former campaign director of Xavier Bertrand for the regional 2015, he had on this occasion indicated to the Voix du Nord to keep "a special friendship" for the current president of the regional council.
Marine Le Pen will be a candidate for departmental in the canton of Hénin-Beaumont.
At the beginning of May, an Ipsos poll gave Xavier Bertrand at the top of the voting intentions, at 35%, ahead of the RN list led by Sébastien Chenu (32%), the left-wing union list of the ecologist Karima Delli at 20% and that of Laurent Piertraszewski at 10%.
Asked about his strategy for the second round, while in 2015 the Socialist Party withdrew to avoid victory for Marine Le Pen's list, Mr. Piertraszewski said he wanted "to do everything to be in the lead in the first round and at least the first of the republican movements ", stressing that whoever would be at the head would be" responsible for bringing together all the republicans ".
© 2021 AFP