The candidate of the presidential majority announced on Tuesday morning her withdrawal from the second round of the legislative elections in the 1st constituency.
It took more than 24 hours for the candidate of the presidential majority to announce her withdrawal. Proof that the decision was not easy. And for good reason… Sunday evening, the Nîmes native snatched her ticket by the skin of her teeth (but really by the skin of her teeth) for the second round in the 1st constituency of Gard. She gathered 12.6% of registered voters, just above the fateful 12.5% mark. This score is her score. It is the result of a personal journey that began to make sense eight years ago. It was at that time that she reluctantly resigned from her position as deputy for Education out of “solidarity” with Yvan Lachaud then repudiated by the mayor of Nîmes. What followed was a succession of political decisions and facts. The failure of Yvan Lachaud in the 2020 municipal elections, then that of MP Françoise Dumas in the 2022 legislative elections, cleared the political landscape for her. An opportunity to assert herself for this convinced Macronist who has always listened to her convictions. But this time, did Valérie Rouverand really listen to them by withdrawing from the second round? Not sure… Sunday evening, during the Club Objective GardValérie Rouverand learns of her qualification live. She reacts immediately, spontaneously, sincerely: ” It seems logical to me that I can fight a Mélenchonist and a Lepenist. I am the only one to represent the republican arc (…) I will be much clearer tomorrow or in a few hours. » But what happened during those few hours? Was Valérie Rouverand lectured by her “boss”, Gabriel Attal, who asked the candidates who came in third place to withdraw? A strategy of her staff in the hope that the extreme right would not have enough deputies to win an absolute majority in the National Assembly. Was she sensitive to pressure from the local Left who could have criticized her for staying in the municipal elections in two years? Many unanswered questions. What is certain is that her voters are not in the calculation, nor in the strategy. Many are disappointed, even angry, and find themselves orphaned of their representative. Especially since the withdrawal of Valérie Rouverand will probably not prevent the victory of the candidate of the National Rally, Yoann Gillet, who came out on top in the first round (41.91%). If, as a good soldier, Valérie Rouverand played the political game, we hope that the people of Nîmes have short memories. Because why would they trust her again in the next elections?
