In this between-two rounds of the presidential election, Marine Le Pen has so far not obtained any support. The candidate of the National Rally could even undergo an opposite phenomenon, since the mayor of Béziers (Hérault), Robert Ménard, has withdrawn from his campaign.
According to our information, the elected official has decided to cease all media expression by the second round, on April 24. A half-surprise, as the city councilor, supported by the far-right party since 2014, has multiplied the signs of rapprochement with Emmanuel Macron in recent months, to the point of being today qualified by a close friend of the head of the ‘State of “unexpected potential support”.
The story begins on November 16, 2021. On that day, the President of the Republic went to Béziers to grant a check for 200 million euros to a local company as part of a vast development plan for the sector. hydrogen. A “Colossal chance” for the city, said Robert Ménard, who congratulated Emmanuel Macron for his ability to “to embody a hope, [à] propose a radiant France”.
“You have to be proactive and optimistic, that’s what I keep telling Eric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen. They will not succeed by being seen as killjoys”he underlines on the sidelines of the presidential visit.
“An irreproachable republican position”
On January 26, the sexagenarian goes to the Elysée for a ceremony of homage to the black feet. Admittedly, Béziers welcomes many returnees from Algeria – and their descendants – to its home, but the invitation of its mayor to the event is by no means natural. That of Perpignan, Louis Aliot (National Rally), was thus not invited, despite the presence of a strong community of pied-noirs in his city. The Presidency of the Republic has also silenced the presence of Robert Ménard until the last minute.
The person concerned, who left Algeria at the age of 9 with his family, congratulates Emmanuel Macron at the end of his speech for his words of gratitude towards the pied-noirs. “That will not prevent me from lowering the flags in Béziers on March 19”anniversary day of the ceasefire of the Algerian war, he slips. “It’s your story, Robert, you do what you want”replies the President of the Republic.
In private, the entourage of the Head of State welcomes this exercise of triangulation, seen as a means of hindering Marine Le Pen. “Ménard has an irreproachable Republican positionpraises a close friend of Mr. Macron. He changed. »
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