En addition to a somewhat scathing slogan (“La remontada de la France”), Arnaud Montebourg put forward a few original ideas in his presidential campaign last year. For a moment, he suggested setting up the equivalent of the National Council of Resistance, which would be made up of personalities from both the right and the left. The candidate for the Élysée even considered, for a few days, appointing Virginie Calmels as director of his campaign. The hypothesis fizzled out. The name of the former assistant to Alain Juppé at the town hall of Bordeaux, now a candidate for the presidency of LR, has created quite a stir within the entourage of Arnaud Montebourg, made up largely of elected from the left.
The idea comes from the ex-husband of Virginie Calmels, François-David Cravenne. The man is a communication adviser, close in particular to the ex-president of the LR federation of Paris, Philippe Goujon. Last summer, he became an adviser to Arnaud Montebourg, with another man ranked on the right, Jérôme Doncieux. Their arrival in the Montebourg team does not please everyone. When, in October 2021, Cravenne suggests the name of his ex-wife to advise the candidate, some wonder. “In principle, we say to ourselves ‘why not?’” says a former member of the Montebourg team. The question is not who comes, but to say what. We therefore want a statement that shows his support for Arnaud. »
internal battle
The ex-boss (she notably directed Endemol France) and vice-president of LR between 2017 and 2018 is for her part interested. “She is willing to participate in the campaign, if a real CNR is set up,” said a relative. Arnaud Montebourg seems, meanwhile, a little skeptical. He does not close the door, since he dreams of gathering right-wing personalities around his name, but waits to see. He dines with Virginie Calmels, at a friend’s house, mid-October. The current passes between the two, assures an intimate of Virginie Calmels. “They are very complementary. Arnaud had also said that, if he were elected to the presidency of the Republic, he would appoint her Prime Minister. »
But behind the scenes, the supporters of a line on the left are battling with those who, such as Cravenne and Doncieux, want to pull Montebourg to the right and the CNR. The name of Virginie Calmels, of course, further poisons the relationship between the two camps. The affair begins to fall apart, especially since Virginie Calmels does not feel a sufficient inflection in the line defended by Montebourg. “We have never seen any statement from him showing his support! says Valentin Przyluski, former adviser to Arnaud Montebourg. After about ten days, the case is settled. Virginie Calmels retires. Less than a year later, she is a candidate for the presidency of the Republicans.
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