The president of the Grand Est, Jean Rottner, who succeeded Philippe Richert in 2017, has taken a serious option for the next seven years.
While his predecessor had been left behind in the first round by the frontist candidate, the LR candidate clearly came out on top last night, with a score of around 31.5%.
In second, Laurent Jacobelli, head of the National Rally list, would only obtain 22%.
To this first surprise is added the mediocre ranking of the Minister in charge of Integration, Brigitte Klinkert, who would however exceed the bar of 10%, allowing to maintain.
However, she is preceded by the ecologist Éliane Romani, who turns in third position.
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“I am ready tonight to lead the battle to beat the National Rally in the second round. As I have undertaken to do, I will submit a list identical to that of the first round and I invite all the Democrats and Republicans in our region to give me their support next Sunday
,
”
declared Jean Rottner, closing any possibility of a merger. with the list led by Brigitte Klinkert. Last week, already, accompanied by François Baroin and Gérard Larcher, he had campaigned
"for clarity"
, convinced that the electorate of the right and of the center refused any alliance with the presidential majority.
While calling for
"the vote of the Democrats"
, he did not vary in his strategy, ratified by his network of LR mayors and centrists, and validated during the 26 public meetings.
The former president of the Haut-Rhin departmental council (ex-LR) was to make her decision known in the evening.
To maintain or not.
"The question of the Republican front does not really arise
,
"
agreed his running mate, Sylvain Waserman, MoDem vice-president of the National Assembly.
Addition to the left
If there is to be a merger, it would be more on the left where we know how to make additions.
Although undoubtedly disappointed by its 14%, Éliane Romani, supported by the PS and the PCF, sent a message to the former minister Aurélie Filippetti, whose "The unpublished call", with socialists and LFI, would obtain 8% of the vote.
For his part, Laurent Jacobelli had let it be known before the poll that he would not reach out to the former frontist Florian Philippot, the sovereignist credited with around 7%.
While pointing to
"the flagrant disorganization"
of the State - not all the ballots were distributed - Jacobelli insisted on the abstention of 70% in the Grand Est, the strongest of all the French regions.
According to him, it is explained by
"the massive rejection of the Grand Est",
which gives an indication of the campaign he intends to lead before the second round.
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It would thus take up one of the themes of the campaign of Brigitte Klinkert, who wanted to create a
"shock of decentralization"
and had promised to take better account of the territories. Consolation for the minister, who suffered from her low notoriety as soon as we moved away from Alsace: this Sunday, she was in the lead ahead of Jean Rottner in Colmar. She also took a serious option for the re-election to the European Collectivity of Alsace of the pair that she forms with the mayor LR Éric Straumann.