Montpellier: former mayor Philippe Saurel candidate in constituency of Coralie Dubost

The withdrawal of the political life of the deputy LRM pinned by “Mediapart” for her mismanagement of her mandate costs and her teams opens the way to a political battle for the legislative elections.

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The former mayor of Montpellier presents himself on the constituency left vacant by the deputy La République en Marche (LRM) Coralie Dubost. One throws in the towel, the other tries a political return. The former mayor (various left) Philippe Saurel, 64, says hard as iron that he made his decision more than a month ago in a very different context. But this choice to present his candidacy, “citizen outside the parties”, intervenes the day after the day when the deputy LRM in the place announced to set off with political life. Shaken by the revelations on her expensive mandate costs and the mismanagement of her teams, the deputy preferred to throw in the towel.

After a mandate of mayor of Montpellier and president of the agglomeration community, Philippe Saurel had been beaten in the municipal elections in 2020 by the current mayor, the socialist Michaël Delafosse. Since then, while sitting as a municipal councilor, he had set back and had returned to his first profession, dentist.

He therefore tries a return to politics, in an open, but complicated context. He had not tried to return during the departmental, being still embarrassed by a heavy knee operation in 2020. “I am freed from my medical contingencies, but also from my financial contingencies: I won the five procedures that the socialists or the extreme left had brought against me, “he explains.

plethora of candidates

He claims to have made his decision at the request of mayors and elected officials from this constituency, without being more precise, and adds that he was decided a month ago, long before the setbacks of Coralie Dubost, setbacks that he does not wish to comment. He is obviously not the only one who wants to delight the siege released on this 3 e district of Hérault, which includes the east of Montpellier and the nearest well -off suburbs. The withdrawal of Coralie Dubost changes the game for all candidates, declared or upcoming, and announces a very open ballot.

Admittedly, Philippe Saurel does not present himself with the LRM label, but he takes care to specify that he had argued Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and that he again supported him during the two towers of the presidential election – “For the same reason: it was the only one able to beat the extreme right.” An important reminder in this constituency where LRM made one of its best scores in the department during the 2017 legislative elections (37 % in the first round , more than 60 % in the second).

“This is the first time I have been in the legislative elections, but it seems to me that in current political life, the opinion of people outside of great political pharmacies can be useful. And if I am elected, I Account to attach myself to an independent group, nor horizons [the movement of ex-Prime Minister Edouard Philippe], nor any of the groups of the large existing parties, “he explains.

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/Media reports.