Presidential: "The socialists do not shave the walls", assures Carole Delga

Solène Delinger 7:20 a.m., April 3, 2022

INTERVIEW

As difficult as the presidential campaign is for the Socialists, Carole Delga continues to believe in it.

Invited to the microphone of Thierry Dagiral, the PS president of the Occitanie region defended Anne Hidalgo's project while castigating that of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, embodying sound and fury, and that of Emmanuel Macron, despising workers.

"Socialist activists do not shave the walls because we are proud of our candidate Anne Hidalgo", assures Carole Delga at the microphone of Europe 1. According to her, the activists are very satisfied with the campaign led by the mayor of Paris.

"I was two days ago in Haute-Vienne and I saw motivated activists and in Occitanie, they are also motivated, proud of their candidate and proud of the project we are carrying, that of a republican and ecological left. “, explains the president of the Occitanie region. 

"We are not weather vanes"

A week before the first round, Anne Hidalgo is however credited with 2%, or even less, in certain polls, and her campaign is akin to a way of the cross, as Carole Delga recognizes.

"This campaign is difficult, we can not say the opposite," she says.

"But in politics, what is important is to be consistent and faithful to one's values. We are not weather vanes and we believe in this social project which makes it possible to respond to the social emergency, which gives work with a fair remuneration, who also wants to reconcile economy and ecology and who knows how to work with companies to know how to create wealth and know how to share it", explains Carole Delga on Europe 1. 

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"The question of purchasing power is essential"

The president of the Occitanie region returned to Anne Hidalgo's priority: the increase in the minimum wage.

"The question of purchasing power is paramount," she argues.

"Anne Hidalgo says that we must reduce the VAT on energy precisely to restore purchasing power to French men and women. We also propose to increase the minimum wage by 15%. That would make a minimum wage of 1,446 euros". 

Carole Delga attacks, without naming them, the far left candidates, who "stigmatize the bosses".

"Anne Hidalgo, on the contrary, is able to talk to everyone," she says.

"We have this daily link with business leaders and we know that it is necessary to increase wages because otherwise there will be despair among employees. And the first resource in a company, it is the human resource."

"The vote for the far right solves nothing"

Asked about the post-first round of the presidential election, Carole Delga said that the Socialist Party would call to vote for Emmanuel Macron "if we are in a Macron-Le Pen match".

"We will ensure that the far right scores as low as possible."

"Me, I cannot bring myself to see the extreme right gaining more than 40% in a presidential election because that means that fascist and Nazi ideas, racist ideas are gaining strength. And we have to explain to those who are desperate, who are resigned, that the vote of the far right does not solve anything". 

As for the future of the PS, Carole Delga promises that she will "take her part".

"I am also ready to take a beating because I believe in this socialist ideal of the left. I don't want there to be just a choice between the sound and the fury embodied by Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Emmanuel Macron, which does not take into account the arduous nature of the professions and wants to generalize retirement at 65," she concludes.