A woman in the Elysee Palace?

So far, the French immediately thought of Marine Le Pen, who is running for the third time for the highest office in the presidential election next year.

But now another blonde is pushing her way forward: 54-year-old Valérie Pécresse, the right-wing regional president of the capital region Île-de-France, announced her presidential candidacy on Thursday evening at prime time.

"I am more willing to reform than Emmanuel Macron and have more authority than Marine Le Pen," she told TF1.

She wanted to give France back its pride.

"I am ready to become the first woman president of France," she affirmed on Friday in the Le Figaro newspaper.

Michaela Wiegel

Political correspondent based in Paris.

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Pécresse was once the favorite of President Jacques Chiracs, who brought the young ENA graduate to the Elysée Palace as a consultant. After François Fillon's crushing defeat in 2017, Pécresse left the Les Républicains (LR) party. She calls her new movement “Libre!”, Which means “Free!”. But now Pécresse is back in touch with the LR party executive. Unlike her former party friend Xavier Bertrand, she wants to face a primary.

Many consider their candidacy to be a clever move to force their rivals to participate in the primary.

Because Pécresse and Bertrand know that two candidates from the right-wing camp can only lose against Macron and Le Pen next April.

The jubilation with which Bruno Retailleau, the LR parliamentary group leader in the Senate, welcomed Pécresses ambitions speaks for the thesis: “The candidacy of Valérie Pécresses is good news.

It testifies to the vitality of the right.

From now on, primaries are evidence that applies to everyone. "

Accused of defending "the interests of the white race"

In the regional elections at the end of June, Pécresse successfully defended her mandate against a left-wing electoral alliance made up of the Greens, Left Party and Socialists. She relegated the candidate Marine Le Pens, Jordan Bardella, to third place. The former budget, research and university minister is considered a prudent planner who is responsible for the huge new rail network of the Grand Paris Express in the capital region. She stands up for the interests of commuters, which the socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, neglects with her anti-car policies from her point of view. The relationship between the two women has been tense for years. This is also due to the fact that Pécresse has ended the decades-long rule of the socialists in the Île-de-France.

Claude Bartolone, her socialist challenger in the 2015 regional elections, challenged her at the time to defend “the interests of the white race” and to stand for rich places with little mix. The extreme right, however, accuses Pécresse of showing far too much consideration for the suburbs with a high proportion of migrants. Pécresse takes tough positions. She wants to introduce systematic bone analyzes for all allegedly underage asylum seekers. With her as President, asylum applications should no longer be allowed on French soil, but only in the embassies or at the airport.