The number two of LR, Guillaume Peltier, on Monday gave his support to Xavier Bertrand in the presidential race, deeming him "alone capable of winning the right" in 2022. According to the vice-president of the party, a primary would be "lose five months" to the Republicans and generate "divisions".

It was an open secret, because Guillaume Peltier has been working with Xavier Bertrand for months and considers him the right candidate for the right in 2022. This Monday, the number 2 of LR has therefore officially given his support to the president of Hauts-de-France, deeming him "alone capable of winning the right" in 2022, and believing that a primary would "lose five months" and generate "divisions".

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"So I decided to set an example, to give up myself any participation in a primary by strongly supporting, from today, the best placed among us, the only one capable of beating Emmanuel Macron and of to win the right: I bring my support to Xavier Bertrand ", he said in fact in an interview with the

Parisian

, on the eve of a political office of LR during which the mayor of Antibes Jean Leonetti must present his tracks for decide between the right-wing presidential candidates. "We can no longer afford to lose five months of primary and divisions. My line is the unity and victory of the right," urges Guillaume Peltier, who calls "to put personal ambitions aside".

The incarnation of "popular France"

For him, "Xavier Bertrand embodies, like Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007, popular France", and "he understood the three challenges of the presidential election: work and salaries in the face of the assistantship, authority in the face of Islam policy, the freedoms of our provinces in the face of Parisian centralism ". Among other assets of Xavier Bertrand in the eyes of Guillaume Peltier: "he did not do the ENA, is not a high official", and "his dynamic is strong with already 20% of the voting intentions in the first round of the presidential "according to polls. Also, "I respect those who want to start a primary but I tell them: 'You are on the wrong track, we do not have the right to start a losing and dividing machine, 280 days before the election presidential '",he insists.

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An announcement that comes as the right is due to ratify the principle of a vote in the fall on Tuesday.

The timing of this exit of the vice-president of the party is therefore cringe.

"It's inappropriate, tackles an executive. But it's no wonder Peltier is playing snipers."

LR number two is thus regularly accused of playing his own score.

But this time, it's a score in the service of Xavier Bertrand who, too, does not want a primary.