He is making his big media comeback.
A few weeks after being relegated to fourth place in the LR Congress at the start of December - 22.36% of the vote - the president of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand spoke for the first time on Wednesday evening on BFMTV.
If the former Minister of Health displays his full support for the right-wing candidate Valérie Pécresse, he has reversed his political fall.
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Read alsoPresidential 2022: in the Lot, Valérie Pécresse wants to speak to “France”
“
It's not that easy to lead because it's a commitment of several years, of several months,
explains the former candidate of the LR Congress.
There are also many people who were disappointed, the feeling of not being able to go after this presidential election.
Without displayed bitterness at least, the regional president considers that “
wanting to be president of the Republic means fighting for ideas, for values, it means fighting for people.
A way to put things into perspective after having wanted to run for the presidential election without going through the process that the right was preparing.
“It was the price of the unit”
From his solitary strategy in the presidential election in March 2021 to a return to the fold of a party he had mocked for several years last October, Xavier Bertrand had experienced a real shrinking of his political space, having to participate in a ballot he did not originally want. Returning to the LRs, Xavier Bertrand underlines that he "
knew what the risks were
", but that "
it was the price of the unit
". “
Can you imagine if I had stayed alone on my side with a candidate who won the primary? We would have looked like the left which has no chance of winning
, ”he squeaks.
In view of the presidential election, Xavier Bertrand also indicates that he will continue to engage in his region and with Valérie Pécresse: "
All that I have in mind on the value of work, the middle classes, the social lift, the Republic of the territories to liberate our country, I want to carry these ideas, and Valérie
is also determined to carry this project.
»
Read alsoValérie Pécresse and Xavier Bertrand united against Emmanuel Macron
While he had declared in October to be on the right "
the only one who can win against Emmanuel Macron
", Xavier Bertrand recognizes that his "
dual double
" strategy opposed the resentment of many activists against his behavior more than zigzagging.
According to him, “
when you win, it's because you were the best, when you lose, it's because you failed to convince.
»