Presidential 2022: the five moments to remember from the first debate of the candidates The Republicans

The race for the nomination The Republicans has definitely started.

The five candidates for the LR Congress, which will be held on December 4, warned from the outset: one should not expect virulent spat.

They kept their word on Monday evening for their first debate broadcast on LCI and RTL.

For more than 3 hours, everyone took the time to set out their respective programs, each in their own corridor or almost.

Le Parisien gives you the summary of the evening in five moments.

I, president, will go ...

At the start of the debate, each candidate was invited to say what his first trip would be in the event of an election. Valérie Pécresse would go to the Jacques Chirac foundation in Corrèze, "to meet autistic children" and fight for the dignity of people with disabilities. Faithful to his security line, Eric Ciotti would go to the city of flamingos in Marseille, a territory "held by dealers like 500 districts in France". Almost similar choice for Xavier Bertrand, who intends to go to the northern districts of Marseille. "This is where there is the reign of the bearded", he blurted out.

My first trip will be, with my Minister of the Interior, to the northern districts of Marseille.

I want to show, where Emmanuel Macron failed, that there are no lost territories in our Republic.

# LeGrandDébatLCI pic.twitter.com/X31jhasKL8

- Xavier Bertrand (@xavierbertrand) November 8, 2021

Michel Barnier would choose an industrial basin, "where workers and engineers are proud of a job well done".

As for Philippe Juvin, it would be in his village of Ucciani, in Corsica.

“I believe in roots and rurality,” he explained.

Journalist David Pujadas pointed out to them that none of them had answered Berlin, where Nicolas Sarkozy, François Hollande and Emmanuel Macron had gone just after their election.

Passing of arms on officials

The race for the shallot on the reductions of civil servants' posts was expected.

"If we do not manage to make job cuts, we will not succeed," said Valérie Pécresse, who intends to remove 200,000. "There are sources of savings, we can do with less 'public official,' added Eric Ciotti, who intends to rise to 250,000. Philippe Juvin, for his part, intends to 'redistribute' at least 200,000 civil servant positions but do not remove any.

Xavier Bertrand relies on his "tailor-made".

Macron's shadow ...

Almost every candidate has delivered his little pike to the Head of State, not yet officially a candidate but whom no one doubts that he wishes to spend five more years at the Elysee Palace.

"Security is the main failure of the five-year term", tackled Michel Barnier.

The others have focused on economic attacks.

"You now have with Macron, Christmas in September, Christmas in October, Christmas in November," said Xavier Bertrand, referring to the aid and economic support measures announced recently.

"Emmanuel Macron burnt the fund," added Valérie Pécresse.

As for Eric Ciotti, he lambasted the fact that "the five-year term of Emmanuel Macron does not begin in 2017, but somewhere in 2012", the current head of state having been appointed deputy secretary general of the Elysee by François Hollande in 2012.

See also Presidential: Bertrand, Pécresse, Barnier ... one month before the Congress of Republicans, the candidates respond to the Parisian

On another subject, Xavier Bertrand criticized Emmanuel Macron for having mentioned during the last campaign of “crimes against humanity” in Algeria.

"I would not be a President of the Republic adept of repentance", guaranteed the President of Hauts-de-France, who later deplored the reaction or rather what he qualifies as non-reaction of the President of the Republic on the submarines ordered by Australia, before the contract was finally terminated.

... and that of Zemmour on immigration

The polemicist, who "eats" on the right-wing electorate when he is not yet officially a candidate, was hardly mentioned during the debate of the LR candidates ... except during the part on immigration and when 'they were asked about him at the end of the show. Michel Barnier referred to Eric Zemmour, but taking care not to name him. Simply evoking "a person, who does not have the same history as us, who confuses Pétain with de Gaulle and who has a stigmatizing vision of society".

➡ # Immigration: on the expression "Great Replacement"

🗣️ @ MichelBarnier: "I don't like this expression, because it is used by a person who does not have the same history as us, who confuses # Pétain with #deGaulle "

📺> https://t.co/RscIl0OExG

📱 # LeGrandDébatLCI pic.twitter.com/d1b8QljKKr

- LCI (@LCI) November 8, 2021

"Do you think I waited for a polemicist to settle the problem of the Calais jungle?"

(…) Mr. Zemmour, he is there because it is the failure of Mr. Macron ”, added Xavier Bertrand, who has just taken back his card from LR and hopes that the activists will not hold it against him for leaving the left 4 years ago.

At the very end of the program, the candidates were questioned about their relationship to the polemicist.

Is he a competitor or an enemy?

An “adversary”, answers Michel Barnier tit for tat.

“His story is not ours and his way of reading history is not ours,” he continues.

Eric Ciotti is much more praiseworthy.

"He makes a finding that I will not deny," said the deputy, qualifying Eric Zemmour as a "competitor" and not as an enemy.

The wrath of Ruth Elkrief

This very civilized debate was nevertheless marked by several rants from journalist Ruth Elkrief, co-host with her colleague David Pujadas.

In question ?

The fact that the candidates drag on certain files, disrupting the planned course of the show.

"I had planned to ask you a question to begin with, so how do I do now?"

“, She was annoyed, while Xavier Bertrand wanted to speak again on purchasing power.

“We are leading a debate, no, we are leading a debate, no, no, no, no!

“, She blurted out in the process.

Queen @ruthelkrief.

#LeGrandDebatLCI pic.twitter.com/Paau5DGEj3

- Ambroise Méjean (@Ambroise_Mejean) November 8, 2021

For the rest, and despite the passage of time (the debate was to last 2 hours, it spanned more than three hours), no real clash took place between candidates.

Just Michel Barnier he blurted out to Valérie Pécresse: "You just have to avoid saying too many things so as not to do them afterwards".