Presidential election 2022: modem to rescue of “big candidates” in lack of sponsorships

The initiative of the Party Allied by the presidential majority aims to ensure that Eric Zemmour, Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon can validate their candidacy for the sake of pluralism.

Le Monde with AFP

The modem and its leader are displayed in bulwark of democracy and pluralism. François Bayrou had proposed, as of January 20, with the Agency-France-Press (AFP) that centrist mayors organize themselves in “reserve of available signatures”, in order to sponsor candidates for the presidential election “legitimate” who struggle to reach the 500 signatures. This reserve has since emerged. “Two hundred to three hundred elected modem reserve their sponsorships for the moment,” said Wednesday in the world Patrick Mignola, president of the group of centrist deputies, confirming information from the Parisian

The initiative aims to ensure that Eric Zemmour, Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who regularly have their difficulties in collecting the 500 signatures of elected officials, despite their electoral weight measured in the polls or in the surveys, can validate their candidacy for the presidential election.

“Nobody would understand that they are not qualified”

At the date of February 8 , last update of the referrals received by the Constitutional Council, the candidate of France unsuitable, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has collected 224 signatures while Eric Zemmour collected , for the moment, 149 and Marine Le Pen 139. Only Emmanuel Macron (926), then Valérie Pécresse and Anne Hidalgo (939 and 652) have, for the moment, exceeded the 500 sponsorships.

“It is a question of supporting the candidates whose nobody would understand that they are not qualified,” says Mignola in the world. “We think we have to fight the extremes by the election, not by the selection,” took the centrist with the Parisian. At the end of January, Mr. Bayrou also argued that this reservation was not “a [testimony] support, but a citizen approach on the part of elected officials who, anxious for democracy, would not want to commit.” .

This reservation, emanating mainly from rural mayires, could be triggered next week, at a fortnight of the closing of the sponsorship deposit. Could it also be used for M me Taubira, last candidate declared on the left, which has, for the moment, brought together that 36 signatures? “Not to the point of participating in the unfortunate cacophony of the left who will be good [maybe too] represented”, sweep Mr. Mignola with the world.

Marine Le Pen says “Really worried”

The whatever 42,000 elected officials to grant their sponsorship have, until Friday, March 4, 18 hours, to send their signature by post to the Constitutional Council. Marine Le Pen said, Wednesday, “really worried” concerning his harvest of sponsorships, at the microphone of Europe 1 . “There are many mayors who think we have, because they do not imagine that a candidate arriving in the second round of the presidential election may not have them,” continued the candidate of extreme right, before adding: “We have 400 and some [promises of] sponsorship (…) and we miss 100. It is a major democratic problem.”

Mayor of Pau, François Bayrou had pointed out at the end of January that he could “why not” be part of such a sponsorship reserve, despite his active support in Emmanuel Macron. At that date, he has, for the moment, not granted his signature. It remains to know in favor of which candidate.

/Media reports.