Arrived in 6th position in the first round of this presidential election with 4.7% of the vote, the candidate of the Republicans Valérie Pécresse held a strong speech this Sunday, calling to fight the far right and quoting Jacques Chirac, who had hammered in 2007 that “everything in the soul of France says ‘no’ to extremism”.
A speech delivered by Jacques Chirac on March 11, 2007, when he was preparing to say goodbye to his post as President of the Republic, which he had held for nearly 12 years, not a candidate for re-election.
Last official address before the first round of the presidential election scheduled for April 22, 2007, this one was viscerally motivated by the ambition and the urgency that his party and the new candidate Nicolas Sarkozy defeat his great enemy of all time, Jean- Marie Le Pen.
“Extremism is a poison” which “divides”
“Never compromise with extremism, racism, anti-Semitism or the rejection of the other. In our history, extremism has already almost led us to the abyss. It is a poison. It divides. He perverts, he destroys. Everything in the soul of France says no to extremism,” said the head of state, then 74 years old.
Jacques Chirac, March 11, 2007: “In our history, extremism has already nearly led us to the abyss. It is a poison: it divides, it perverts, it destroys”.
pic.twitter.com/LZAGJwtRd9— Emmanuel Husson (@emmanuel_husson) December 6, 2021
And to continue: “France’s real fight, France’s great fight, is that of unity, it is that of cohesion. Yes, our values have meaning! Yes, France is rich in its diversity! Yes, the honor of politics is to act first for equal opportunities! It is to allow everyone, every young person, to have a chance”.
A powerful message which Valérie Pécresse wanted to be the heir to this Sunday, April 10, while Marine Le Pen – candidate of the National Rally – came in second position in the first round of this presidential election, with 24.2% of the vote.
In the footsteps of Jacques Chirac
As a reminder, the one who is today the president of the Ile-de-France region for more than 6 years had joined Jacques Chirac’s team in 1997, when he had been elected president of the Republic in 1995. mission, then technical adviser, she then remained in her entourage until 2002, when she was elected deputy for the first time, in the 2nd district of Yvelines (78).
A few months later, she became Deputy Secretary General of the UMP (which later became Les Républicains), before becoming spokesperson at the national level. At the time, during the re-election of Jacques Chirac, she had been approached to enter the government. It was not the case. In March 2004, she was elected regional councilor for Ile-de-France on the list led by Jean-François Copé.
But it was finally necessary to wait until 2007 to see Valérie Pécresse enter a government, then appointed Minister of Higher Education during the election of Nicolas Sarkozy. A position she held for more than 4 years, headed by Prime Minister François Fillon. After a reshuffle, she was then appointed Budget Minister and government spokesperson.