Alexandre Chauveau, edited by Solène Delinger 8:12 p.m., February 09, 2022

Hard blow for Valérie Pécresse.

Former Sarkozy minister Eric Woerth (LR) announced that he would support Emmanuel Macron rather than the LR presidential candidate.

The president of the Ile-de-France region does not want to be destabilized after this defection, the second since that of Guillaume Peltier at Eric Zemmour. 

Former Sarkozy minister Eric Woerth (LR) announced that he would support Emmanuel Macron rather than Valérie Pécresse for the presidential election.

A blow for the LR candidate, who does not want to be destabilized after this defection, the second since that of Guillaume Peltier at Eric Zemmour. 

"I ask you to be impassive"

Valérie Pécresse was officially absent from the Maison de la Chimie, where her supporters met, for scheduling constraints.

Candidate LR justified her absence by traffic jams in Paris and finally inaugurated the meeting by videoconference.

After having greeted her supporters, she sent them an unequivocal message concerning the rallying of Eric Woerth to Emmanuel Macron. 

"I ask you to be impassive, impassive. The technique of individual poaching is not ours. We are a party of convictions", she hammered.

The departure of Eric Woerth was at the heart of the discussions.

Several fellow MPs do not hide their disappointment, but try to minimize, like Damien Abad.

"We expected it and it's not a surprise. We felt this feeling of weariness or general fed up. He made this choice. I deeply regret it for him and for our political family" , he confided.

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"The timing signs the crime"

But, beyond his departure, it is the timing of Eric Woerth who challenges, a few days before the big meeting planned at the Zénith de Paris, supposed to give a second wind to the Pécresse campaign.

"I think that the timing signs the crime a little bit, that is to say that doing it at that particular moment shows that all of this is directly sponsored by Macronie", breathes Vincent Jeanbrun, a close friend of the candidate. . 

Valérie Pécresse, she does not intend to be destabilized.

She mobilized her troops this evening, even if, internally, no one hides a certain annoyance about this defection, the second after that of Guillaume Peltier at Eric Zemmour.