The presidential majority does not want to hear about the second round agreement passed on Thursday between Gérard Collomb and the Lyon right. During a surprise announcement, the former Minister of the Interior decided to step aside from the race for the presidency of the metropolis of Lyon in favor of the candidate of the Republicans, François-Noël Buffet. In return, the right withdrew its candidate for mayor - Etienne Blanc- and supports Yann Cucherat, the colt of Gérard Collomb. The agreement was sealed directly during a meeting on Wednesday between Gérard Collomb and Laurent Wauquiez, LR president of the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes region.
Read also: Lyon: Gérard Collomb joins forces with LR and hands him the head of the list for the metropolitan election
After being convened Friday to examine the situation in Lyon, the National Investiture Commission (CNI) of the movement said in a statement that it "denounces the decision of Gérard Collomb and Yann Cucherat to ally with Laurent Wauquiez, Etienne Blanc and François-Noël Buffet for the second round of municipal and metropolitan elections ” . She decided to “withdraw their investiture to Gérard Collomb and Yann Cucherat. They are therefore no longer the candidates of La République En Marche for the metropolis and the city of Lyon ” . She also threatens to withdraw the nomination for the running mate of the two men if they decided to follow the agreement with the right.
The CNI "regrets that where the gathering of progressives should have been the priority, such an agreement has been concluded unilaterally" . Allusion to the failure of the discussions between Gérard Collomb and David Kimelfeld, the dissident macronist candidate for the presidency of the metropolis of Lyon. A new CNI meeting will be held in the coming days to "bring the necessary clarification to voters in Lyon and the metropolitan area" .
Read also: From friendship to betrayal ... How the relationship between Macron and Collomb was torn apart
As of Thursday evening, Stanislas Guerini - the delegate general of the Republic on the march - had denounced "the red line" crossed by Gérard Collomb. “I make it clear: our values will always be more important than a few seats on a city council. We will never trade them for a warrant, " he said in a statement. Since then, many ministers conspire their former colleague, thus illustrating the political break between Gérard Collomb and Emmanuel Macron.
