Levallois: Philippe dubs the alliance between Bregeon de LREM and Courson, the historical opponent of the Balkany

A blessing from the Prime Minister to turn the page on "Balkanism". Edouard Philippe met this Tuesday, June 2, Arnaud de Courson, candidate for mayor of Levallois and historic opponent of Patrick Balkany, and Maud Bregeon, the LREM candidate. The latter two sealed an alliance for the second round - in the event of a victory, the first will be mayor, the second first assistant - in order to beat Agnès Pottier-Dumas. Supported by LR, the candidate, who came first in the first round, had lost the support of the Balkanys in April after having refused them several prestigious positions within the City. But for the two candidates, supported on Tuesday by the Prime Minister, the former director of cabinet still represents "the Balkany system".

"He told us that Levallois was a symbolic city"

Maud Bregeon and Arnaud de Courson, now united, found Edouard Philippe in a garden near the Hôtel de Matignon in order to formalize his support with a photo. This is the first official, and above all personal, gesture by the Prime Minister in this flash campaign of the second round. " The Prime Minister was keen to support a real alternative to Levallois, possible thanks to the constitution of this central block", explains his entourage. "It is an honor. He told us that Levallois was a symbolic city, that it was important that we reincarnate something positive for this city, ” says Maud Bregeon, the macronist candidate.

And for good reason: the very chic small town of Hauts-de-Seine has been in the spotlight in recent months after the multiple convictions of the Balkany spouses. Already ineligible for ten years, Patrick and Isabelle were further sentenced, last Wednesday, on appeal, respectively to 5 and 4 years in prison - without immediate imprisonment - for aggravated money laundering.

Despite everything, their shadow continued to hover over this in-between-towers. After withdrawing their support for their former chief of staff, the Balkanys invited the mayoral candidates to lunch in turn at their second home in Giverny (Eure) at the end of May. If Maud Bregon had cordially refused, his ally Arnaud de Courson had accepted. What awaken the rumors about a possible secret agreement ... He had to explain it on his Facebook account: "As I said before, I did not conclude any agreement and did not accept any arrangement. (...) I had the courtesy to respond to the invitation of the former mayor to remind him of my conception of Levallois and ask legitimate questions on certain important files , "he said. Her alliance with the macronist candidate should dispel any suspicion. In a Facebook post Monday evening, Isabelle Balkany described the latter as "arrogant, sectarian, even hateful candidate" .