French presidential: Arnaud Montebourg withdraws his candidacy
Former French Socialist Party Economy Minister and left-wing presidential candidate Arnaud Montebourg announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race, January 19, 2022. (Capture taken from Arnaud Montebourg's Twitter account).
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Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Less than three months before the presidential election in France, the candidacies on the left are legion, but since this Wednesday morning there has been one less.
Arnaud Montebourg announced in a video that he was retiring "
from the presidential race
".
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It was in a rural setting in his native Burgundy, where he announced his
candidacy
last September, that Arnaud Montebourg announced his decision.
“
The time has therefore come for me, as a free man, to tell you that I have made the decision to withdraw from the presidential race.
»
The end of a way of the cross for the former socialist minister, whose campaign team had imploded in early November the day after a
controversial statement
on immigration.
Since then, the candidate had tried to position himself as a link between the rivals of the left, before trying to negotiate his rallying, without success.
“
None is determined to overcome our disagreements.
I drew the conclusion that my ideas had certainly become foreign to my own political family
,” he explained.
Adding that he considers "
useless and hopeless to add disorder to the confusion of too many applications
".
Dear all, I wanted to speak today - and I alone - in front of the French who supported and encouraged my candidacy declared in Clamecy on September 4th.
Sincerely yours.
pic.twitter.com/I6bmgawTxA
— ☰ Arnaud Montebourg (@montebourg) January 19, 2022
No support for a candidate
On the side of the Communist Party with which long discussions took place, one evokes especially the problem of the campaign expenses already engaged by Arnaud Montebourg and which he wished to include in his rallying, which was refused to him.
Hence the radical decision of the cantor of “la Remontada”: “
I have decided not to support any candidate since these prospects drawn up for the country are not shared.
»
The Montebourg brand was not worth much more electorally anyway, it is estimated on the side of La France insoumise. "
It's the end of his political career
", judge, meanwhile, a former relative. Not sure, however, that Arnaud Montebourg shares this observation. "
Long live the Republic and long live France, and see you soon
," he concluded.
With the withdrawal of Arnaud Montebourg,
the left
continues to be dispersed between five main candidates.
There are the Insoumis Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the ecologist Yannick Jadot, the socialist Anne Hidalgo, the communist Fabien Roussel, and the ex-keeper of the Seals
Christiane Taubira
, who formalized his candidacy on Saturday.
Five candidates to which must be added the two representatives of the extreme left, Philippe Poutou and Nathalie Arthaud.
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France
Presidential France 2022
Arnaud Montebourg