An elected LR from Savoie, Fabrice Pannekoucke, was chosen by Laurent Wauquiez to succeed him at the head of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a regional source declared on Wednesday, confirming information from the Dauphine and of The Mountain. Vice-president of the Region in charge of Agriculture since 2021, Fabrice Pannekoucke, aged 49, must still be elected on Thursday during a plenary assembly of the Regional Council, a formality given the weight of his party in this body. This trained forester entered politics young, becoming mayor of the small village of Saint-Jean-de-Belleville at the age of 25. In 2010, he took over the presidency of the local community of communes, Cœur de Tarentaise, then was elected mayor in 2014 of the small town of Moûtiers (3,500 inhabitants), which he still runs.
Other names, with more extensive CVs, had circulated in recent days, including that of the Vice-President of the Region and former MP Stéphanie Pernod, the Mayor of Valence, Nicolas Darangon, or the former Minister Brice Hortefeux. Laurent Wauquiez had been at the head of the second most populated region in France (8.1 million inhabitants) since 2016. Re-elected MP for Haute-Loire following the dissolution, he resigned at the end of August due to the rules on the non-accumulation of mandates.
“Business card for 2027”
However, he remains a regional councillor and should, according to the opposition, continue to influence the new executive. “We fear that Fabrice Pannekoucke will have a tightrope walk with Laurent Wauquiez, who will lead the Region from Paris.”commented Johann Cesa, vice-president of the socialist group. “We are not naive, Laurent Wauquiez will keep control over the Region because it serves as his calling card for 2027” and the presidential election, for which he is a potential candidate for the right, added Michèle Morel of the RN group.
