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With his sights set on the second round of the elections, the current French president needs to attract voters from other parties to obtain re-election. After meeting with Nicolas Sarkozy and being publicly supported by him, Macron said he did not make any pact with the former head of state to back his campaign. Such an agreement could scare off leftists and lose its halo as a centrist.
After winning by a narrow margin against his contender Marine Le Pen and still far from the majority he needs to win a new term as president of France, Emmanuel Macron will have to configure a new mass of voters for next April 24.
In this context, the French media considered an alliance in exchange for political favors with former conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy, who last Tuesday publicly supported Macron through a letter on his personal Facebook account.
However, the current head of state was forceful to deny that version. “There was no agreement,” he told France 2 on Wednesday. In this campaign, Macron will have to meticulously study his moves to beat the far-right challenger.
Although Sarkozy’s accolade could attract voters who favored the conservative Valérie Pécresse last Sunday, on the other hand it could drive away left-wing voters and break the self-definition of ‘centrist’.
However, Macron also said he was determined to form new alliances in his fight to continue as French leader. “I’m not talking about coalitions,” he clarified after asserting that these arrangements are not convenient for the national political system.
“The fractures that we have in the country will require that I not only obtain majority strength, but also rally behind me all those who do not share my views, but are open to working with me on some reforms,” he said.
Sarkozy, a conservative influential figure, backed Macron for the second round
At 67, the former president remains a strong man in his Les Républicains party, which was heavily relegated last Sunday after a good part of his voters leaned towards Macron and Le Pen over his candidate Pécresse.
Last Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy broke the silence he had during the electoral campaign and asked “the republican right” to cast their vote for the current head of state on April 24 over Marine Le Pen.
“I will vote for Emmanuel Macron because I think he has the necessary experience in the face of a serious international crisis; because his economic project puts the value of work at the center of all his priorities”, he expressed. He also underlined the “clear and unambiguous European commitment” of the current president.
In a post on his Facebook account, he said that “fidelity to the values of the republican right and the culture of government must lead to responding to Macron’s call for union” for the elections.
The Republicans’ support for the current president had been expressed by Pécresse herself on Sunday after the results were revealed.
with EFE
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