The communist candidate Fabien Roussel finds himself implicated by Mediapart, who accuses him of having been paid between 2009 and 2014 as a parliamentary assistant without having really worked.

Less than two weeks before the closing of registrations on March 4, the staffs of three of the candidates best placed in the polls of voting intentions, Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour and Jean-Luc Mélenchon are mobilized to pass all-out appeals to the country's elected officials seeking their sponsorship.

The Constitutional Council, which will publish new updated sponsorship lists on Tuesday and Thursday, has set Friday March 4, 6:00 p.m. as the deadline for presenting its 500 signatures and formally declaring itself a candidate.

If Emmanuel Macron, LR candidate Valérie Pécresse or socialist Anne Hidalgo already have their 500 sponsorships, others say they are openly worried.

The candidate Reconquest!

in the presidential election Eric Zemmour presents his economic program to the Medef, on February 21, 2022 in Paris Eric PIERMONT AFP

“We are launching a general mobilization today, all the elected members of the National Rally are called upon to make phone calls all day long,” RN MEP Thierry Mariani said on Public Senate on Monday.

On Sunday, Marine Le Pen, who has obtained 366 signatures to date despite her 17% in the polls, spoke of a "situation which, democratically, is terrifying", claiming to have "never been so worried".

Even commotion on the side of Eric Zemmour (291 sponsorships), who had to cancel a trip planned this week to Reunion to devote himself to calling elected officials.

The far-right candidate said on Sunday "very possible" that he would not get them, adding: "it's very hard, we spend hours on the phone (...) to try to convince them".

LFI presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon at a meeting in Montpellier, February 13, 2022 Pascal GUYOT AFP / Archives

As for the leader of rebellious France, who despite his 10% voting intentions has only 370 signatures, he received the sponsorship of the mayor LR of Cannes David Lisnard "out of civic concern" and "so that demagogues do not play not the victims".

Bank of elected officials

The president of the Modem François Bayrou, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron, warned Monday on France 2 against "a democratic tsunami if these candidates could not present themselves" citing in particular Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour and Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

He announced that the "Notre Démocratie" collective, a bank of sponsorships to help candidates who have more than 10% of voting intentions, has brought together around 80 elected officials.

No candidate well placed in the polls has ever failed to collect them during a presidential election.

At 48 days from the first round, the campaign which is struggling to take off remains suspended from the announcement of the candidacy for his re-election of President Macron.

President Emmanuel Macron at the EU-African Union summit, February 18, 2022 in Brussels JOHN THYS POOL / AFP / Archives

A favorite in the polls, the president is immersed in an intense diplomatic sequence around the Ukrainian crisis.

His close circle had mentioned a possible announcement before the Agricultural Show on Saturday – an unmissable meeting of the entire political class.

But now, his entourage suggests that his declaration of candidacy should be postponed to the week of February 28.

The Head of State has "an obvious desire" to go there, but "campaigning today is indeed much more difficult", underlined the boss of LREM Stanislas Guerini on franceinfo, assuring that "everything is ready" for the days following the launch.

Roussel defends himself

In the meantime, Mr. Roussel defended himself Monday on Europe 1 from Mediapart's challenges, claiming to have "the documents" proving his activity.

"I worked during these five years with (the former deputy from the North, editor's note) Jean-Jacques Candelier, with the colleagues I had with him," he said.

Communist presidential candidate Fabien Roussel presents his economic program to Medef on February 21, 2022 in Paris Eric PIERMONT AFP

"A month and a half before the first round, something that comes out like that, I said to myself, calmly, + it's the game +", declared Fabien Roussel, who officially submitted his candidacy to the Constitutional Council "this weekend. -end" after getting 500 referrals.

In addition, six candidates, including Mr. Roussel, spent their economic “grand oral” on Monday morning before the Medef employers.

Candidates for the Elysée were to speak in turn to present the policy they intend to pursue towards companies at a time when the French economy is emerging from the health crisis, but is faced with a shortage of labor. labor and inflation.

© 2022 AFP