The supporters of candidate LR, gathered at the Maison de la chimie, in Paris, for the most part no longer hoped for a qualification in the second round. This Sunday, however, everyone was in shock at such a low score.
The splendor of the House of Chemistry, campaign headquarters by Valérie Pécresse a few steps from the Assembly, contrasts with the crestfallen faces of the activists present. Considerably behind in the polls, the presence in the second round of their candidate seemed less and less likely. So on the organization side, we did the bare minimum: no signs, flags or posters. Only a handful of elected LRs are present, for more than a hundred activists. And when the faces of Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, winners of the first round, appear on the screens, only a slight breath of disappointment is heard. A few seconds later, on the other hand, amazement crosses the room: “Oh!” Pécresse ranks only fifth and stagnates at 5% of the vote (a score then revised downwards, to 4.8%). A tumble.
“We were hoping for at least an honorable score”
Among the crowd, a woman stares at the screen, her eyes wide. She seems not to believe it. “I didn’t necessarily expect her to be in the second round, but behind Zemmour it’s not possible!”regrets Catoucia, 44 years old. “He is not a real candidate, he has never been in politics, has no program…”, blows the forties. Next to her, a little lady is crying. “I gave it my all, we were hoping for at least an honorable score”, she laments. Another, younger, stares at the back of the room, looking haggard. At 16, this is his first engagement in a campaign, his first disappointment as well. A few minutes before the results, Alice still believed in a victory for the one she considers her “model” and prayed that the polls would say wrong.
Like the young girl, at the beginning of the evening, there were still a few rare bursts of hope at HQ. “Of course she has a chance, otherwise we wouldn’t be here”, assured Martine, badge with the image of the candidate on the blazer. The 50-year-old towed throughout the campaign. At his side, a young high school student seems more nervous. “Come on, stay zen, you have to continue to believe in it”, throws Martine at him. “I hope we will at least do 10%”, breathed Paul, 17 years old but already an activist. Finally, his candidate makes half as much.
In the crowd, the conditions of the campaign are blamed. “Between an outgoing president who refuses to debate and instead transmits extracts from his meeting – unheard of – and the context with Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, we have not talked enough about the real subjects and the project by Valérie Pécresse», believes Jens Villumsen, member of the organization. Since 5 p.m., he has been active in the room and does not hide his “frustration“. “The useful vote worked against us”judges the young man of 27 years.
“His charisma which did not convince”
If like him, most consider this result “unfair”, disappointment makes some tongues loosen up. “The war in Ukraine has a good back…says Yann, in his fifties, who himself admits having gone to vote without enthusiasm this morning. “Perhaps it was his charisma that did not convince: people need a leader, a guide in the dark. And then she is too labeled as a woman who has money and not enough empathy towards a precarious France”, he believes, leather jacket on the back.
He will vote against the far right in the second round. In a very brief speech, Valérie Pécresse announced that she would give her voice to Emmanuel Macron and encouraged her supporters to do the same. To a light round of applause. But in the room, the “it’s his choice”, “everyone is free”, “we’ll see” predict that few will blindly follow their candidate’s path.
What remains of the historic Republican party tonight? Those who can say so are not more numerous. While this third consecutive defeat marks the long decline of the political group, a few elected officials have come to calm the fire, ready to question themselves. Thus, Stéphane Le Rudulier, senator: “We have to rework our political line, by dint of wanting to make the big difference between the center and the right. We must rebuild a right asserted on its values and its convictions. While from 9 p.m., the atmosphere takes on the air of the end of the evening, an activist wants to be optimistic. He sees this electoral failure as “a new era for the right” after one “clarification needed”. “We have to start over from A to Z, with a new generation of young people who are quite mobilized”, launches the young man. He celebrates his 27th birthday today.. “We will at least be able to celebrate something tonight”he smiles.