Arriving around 2:00 p.m., she was greeted to the sound of drums and calabashes at Pointe-à-Pitre airport by activists chanting "Valérie! Valérie!"
and waving small tricolor flags behind a banner "Guadeloupe with Valérie Pécresse".
Hugs and gifts (flowers and local jams and jellies): "We would like it to last another three weeks!"
launched candidate LR, whose campaign experienced a number of air holes.
As for the quality of the reception "it's a good omen", added the president of the Ile-de-France region, which peaks at around 10% in the polls, far behind Emmanuel Macron and the RN candidate Marine Le Pen. .
Valérie Pécresse then met the president of the Guadeloupe region Ary Chalus, who wanted to "say a big thank you" to her for the commitment made by the Ile-de-France region with the delivery of 100,000 masks and respirators to the worst of the Covid crisis, she explained after the interview.
She was then to visit a sugar factory, go for a walk and hold a public meeting in Les Abymes, before flying back at 8:30 p.m. – less than 7 hours on site for 17 hours by plane.
But it was important for the LR candidate to show the good reception reserved for her by the West Indies, a week after the visit of Marine Le Pen heckled by nationalist demonstrators.
Valérie Pécresse had originally scheduled a visit on March 5 and 6 to Reunion, which she had to cancel because of the war in Ukraine.
LR presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse upon her arrival in Pointe-à-Pître, April 4, 2022 in Guadeloupe Carla BERNHARDT AFP
In the 2017 presidential election, Emmanuel Macron came out on top in the first round in Guadeloupe with 30.2% of the vote ahead of Jean-Luc Mélenchon (24.1%) and François Fillon (14.5%).
© 2022 AFP