Paris (AFP)

Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced on Sunday that he would provide "full" support to President Emmanuel Macron for the 2002 presidential election.

"My support will be complete for the President of the Republic in 2022", affirmed the mayor of Le Havre in the program 7 to 8 of TF1, citing several reasons including "loyalty" and the need to "accentuate" the reforms launched since 2017.

"I want to say things as clearly as possible for the presidential election of 2022, (...) I think, I hope he will be a candidate and I will support him for three reasons", specified the one who remained a little more than three years at Matignon, from May 15, 2017 to July 3, 2020.

To justify his support, in addition to "loyalty and consistency", he put forward the fact that "Emmanuel Macron is made of a metal which I do not see much of the trace in all those who are candidates today for the presidential election ".

Evoking "the philosophy which was that of the President of the Republic in 2017, of reforms, of overruns, of audacity, of transformation", the former head of government finally considered "that these were reforms that were going in the right direction. meaning and that must be accentuated, taken up in many respects, if we want to strengthen the power of our country ".

Edouard Philippe also stressed that in 2022, Emmanuel Macron "will need to rely on a new majority" and that he himself "wants to participate in the constitution of this new political offer" which seems "essential" to him.

Concerning his personal future, he specifies that he "does not ask for a place", because "I was Prime Minister, I liked that, all is well, that is not the subject", and that "to speak of 2027, it is both out of place and absurd ”.

"Will one day have the opportunity to serve my country in national politics, maybe, if so, I'll be happy, and one thing I know is that when you want to serve your country, it is not useless to prepare for it intellectually, politically ", he added however.

Forty mayors from the moderate right and from the center met on August 29 in Fontainebleau (Seine-et-Marne) in the presence of Edouard Philippe, promising to structure themselves to "weigh" more politically as the presidential election approaches. of 2022, and drawing a political space leaning to the right and supporting Emmanuel Macron.

Emmanuel Macron "will need to rely on a new majority and I want to participate in the constitution of this new majority of this new political offer, that seems essential to me", added Edouard Philippe.

© 2021 AFP