Regularly presented behind Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour in the race for the Elysée, even behind Jean-Luc Mélenchon this week, the LR candidate almost ignored her direct competitors for the second round, judging them "discredited" by their "allegiance to Putin in the past."

"There is Eric Zemmour who, two days ago, treated Vladimir Poutine as a democrat, whereas he is a dictator. There is Marine Le Pen, whose party was financed by Russian banks", a- she launched, while expressing her "solidarity for the Ukrainian people".

After this introduction, the candidate LR concentrated her projections against Emmanuel Macron who announced his candidacy for the presidential election on Thursday evening.

"Safe Waterloo"

"Emmanuel Macron's balance sheet looks like a bankruptcy filing," she charged, pointing to the head of state's "safe Waterloo" or even the "French drama" of "import dependence" and the trade balance deficit.

Speaking without notes, leaving her desk to move on stage in front of 600 rather wise supporters, Valérie Pécresse unfolded her program by insisting on sovereign subjects and the economy.

She promised a "shock of authority", announcing her ambition to "rearm our defense to deal with high-intensity conflicts", to increase "the means of justice by 50%" or to put in place referendums to decide on "migration quotas".

LR presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse presents her program during a meeting in Metz on March 5, 2022. Jean-Christophe VERHAEGEN AFP

Still targeting Emmanuel Macron, she scolded a president "who has a problem with the sanction, because he comes from the left", a president having committed a "mistake" by recognizing "a crime against humanity in Algeria".

"He hurt memories. We are proud to have heroes," she said.

Presented a little earlier by François Grosdidier, the mayor of Metz, as "a child of Jacques Chirac", Valérie Pécresse also addressed themes less present in the campaign, such as the family or education: she notably expressed his wish to introduce family allowances "from the first child" or to set up "an exam before entering 6th grade" to ensure that "everyone has mastered the fundamentals".

“She progressed”

Despite the brevity of his speech, which lasted about forty minutes, Les Républicains activists want to believe that their candidate is now "honed in the exercise".

"She was much better than at the first meeting, she has the niaque", enthuses at the exit Marie-José Loudig, retired of 73 years, in reference to the speech delivered by Valérie Pécresse at the Zenith of Paris in mid-February, which sparked a deluge of criticism.

"At the level of the voice she has progressed. She has gained confidence, I found her good," she adds.

"It's less theatrical than at the start, it's more sincere. But I had seen Fillon and Juppé in 2017, the tenors on the right are still not the same intensity", tempers Frédéric, a 53-year-old nurse .

"I was a little surprised by the size of the room, we weren't that many".

He acknowledges that his "voting decision is still not made".

Supporters of LR presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse wave flags during a meeting in Metz on March 5, 2022. Jean-Christophe VERHAEGEN AFP

Tristan Von Lunen, a 20-year-old student at LR, agrees that despite "good speeches", the candidate is "average in form".

"But as soon as we have televised debates, clashes on programs, it will stand out," he wants to believe.

He firmly awaits the debate against Eric Zemmour, on March 10 on TF1.

"There are a lot of voters she can bring to their senses by showing them that the only credible candidate is her," he hopes.

© 2022 AFP