Who is Christelle Morançais, the president of the Pays de la Loire region, who is ulcerating the world of culture?

POLITICS – In the press, the portraits are not very laudatory. We speak of her as a “ cost-killeuse », « iron fist president », or « on a crusade against public spending “. Christelle Morançais, 49, emerged from anonymity this winter thanks to a criticized budget. At the head of the Pays de la Loire region since 2017, this native of Le Mans (Sarthe) has decided to cut expenses linked to culture, sport, the associative fabric, health, integration… In total, 100 million euros in cuts are planned by 2028. A zeal that raises questions when the government had asked the regions for 40 million in savings.

A bleeding that the person concerned presents as “an unprecedented turn of the screw” and a choice brave ” in this period of budgetary efforts. “So culture would be an untouchable monopoly? »she ironically asks about her X account, denouncing “ of the very politicized associations”. One of his favorite catchphrases is to taunt “ a system » become in his eyes “shot with public money”. Christelle Morançais also decided to eliminate 100% of the subsidies paid to Family Planning, according to Humanity.

Unsurprisingly, the elected official attracted the wrath of the left and the cultural world. “Unfair and brutal”denounces the socialist regional councilor Guillaume Garot. In a forum at HuffPostthe First Secretary of the PS Olivier Faure and the European deputy Emma Rafowicz are furious against “a real massacre”. The drop in the culture budget which reaches 70%? “A brutal and murderous measure announced in total opacity”, they castigate.

Excess taxes, “madness”

A petition, bringing together big names like Zaho de Sagazan, Philippe Torreton, Anna Mouglalis and Philippe Katerine, has exceeded 110,000 signatures. Christelle Morançais, however, is not near a contradiction: in 2021, she welcomed a “historic increase: + 30% of the budget for culture, sport and community life”while promising: “We will continue”.

This daughter of an entrepreneur has experienced a political rise as meteoric as her rise in the business world. As soon as she completed her BTS in commercial action, she launched into real estate negotiation, specializing in the sale of houses and apartments, then offices. Member of the Medef de la Sarthe, it has two cardinal values, according to the World : « work » and the excessively high amount of taxes paid by the French, “ madness ».

Her liberal and conservative ideology pushed her to take her UMP card in 2002 to support the Manif pour tous and to get closer to Guillaume Peltier (today allied with Marion Maréchal) within the Strong Right. After leaving LR in 2022, she joined Horizons, the party of Édouard Philippe, until finding herself propelled to the vice-presidency a few weeks ago. Christelle Morançais is preparing the candidacy of her champion for the next presidential election, and hopes to make her region a showcase. Controversies included.

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