“Look, judge, make your decision!”, proclaims former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe visiting Gard

Edouard Philippe aux côtés d'Yvan Lachaud, Sophie Pellegrin-Ponsole et Christian Baume. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Avant de se rendre dans l’Hérault, le fondateur d’Horizons a apporté son soutien aux candidats aux législatives de son parti, mais aussi de Renaissance et du Modem.

"Look, judge, make your decision!" In the gardens of Jérôme Nutile's restaurant in Nîmes, former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is optimistic despite the political tumult linked to the dissolution of the National Assembly. nbsp;: "The main qualities of the people around me today are their enthusiasm. You have to have a certain guts to stand in front of the voters even though you know it's going to be difficult."Sitting at his table facing the journalists, Yvan Lachaud, representing Horizons in the Gard, Sophie Pellegrin-Pensole and Christian Baume, candidates of the Horizons party in the 2nd and 3rd constituencies of the Gard, but also Valérie Rouverand (Renaissance, 1st constituency), Nadia El Okki (Renaissance, 4th constituency) or Aurélien Colson and Martine Bastide, from the Modem, for the 6th constituency.

“Another possible choice”

Illustrating this open center-right that the mayor of Le Havre is trying to create. “I want to tell the people of Gard that there is a possible choice for those who do not want to be caught in the infernal pincers of LFI and the RN”,says Edouard Philippe. To convince and defend, despite everything, the record of a government he led from May 2017 to July 2020, the one who created his own party in 2021 took to the streets. Nearly twenty departments traveled since June 10, thousands of kilometers to meet voters. "I saw a lot of’ rsquo;questions, resentments, anger also in this country. But we must not settle for it, he argues, also highlighting residents capable of recognizing the support shown by the State during Covid, the successes in terms of reducing unemployment.

If everything is far from being perfect, Edouard Philippe assumes and warns: "I want to say to all those who think that ;we can solve all the problems of the French in three years as they prepare for difficult tomorrows…" The former Prime Minister, who Emmanuel Macron warned of the dissolution "half an hour before announcing it" on French television, appeals to the reason of voters when the possibility is raised that the Gard department will switch entirely to the RN colours on the evening of 7 July: "I am not hurling anathemas at citizens. But I want to tell them that a good part of the National Rally's proposals will not have the expected effects," pointing the finger, ironically, "that we must above all manage to follow the proposals since they change from one week to the next: on the subject of pensions alone, Jordan Bardella had announced that he wanted to go back on the reform, but then finally no…"

"You shouldn't just tell people what they want to hear"

Also tackling the New Popular Front on a possible rollback of the legal retirement age: "Spain , with a very left-wing government, increased the retirement age to 67 years. Italy, with a very right-wing government, finally maintained the age at 67. And they would have us believe, in France, that our case is different! It's time to not just tell people what they want to hear but to be realistic: we have very little chance of being prosperous by working less."

A rehearsed speech, a time of discussion with everyone, messages of support and dozens of photos later, Edouard Philippe was already on the departure, heading to Hérault for, again and always, try to convince.

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