In terms of poaching in the opposing camp, presidential campaigns follow and resemble each other.
After the departures from the Socialist Party in 2007 of Éric Besson joined Nicolas Sarkozy and that of Manuel Valls in 2017 who left to join Emmanuel Macron, in 2022 the pace is accelerating.
First at Marine Le Pen in January with the departure of Gilbert Collard and the temptation of Marion Maréchal for Éric Zemmour.
It is now Valérie Pécresse's turn to accept the defection of Éric Woerth two days before his first major meeting at the Zenith in Paris.
"I have decided to support Emmanuel Macron", indeed announced Nicolas Sarkozy's former budget minister in an interview published by Le Parisien on February 9.
The Chairman of the Finance Committee of the National Assembly is expected to campaign for the incumbent President.
His former party comrades, Gérald Darmanin and Bruno Le Maire, appointed ministers after the election of Emmanuel Macron in 2017, quickly welcomed Éric Woerth... who had harshly criticized them following their defection.
Éric Woerth was ironic then by evoking the sudden "change of shirt" of Gérald Darmanin in the middle of the legislative campaign.
“I don't think that's a good way to do it.
It takes consistency "in politics, he explained at the microphone of Europe 1 in May 2017. During the five-year term of Emmanuel Macron, the deputy of Oise regularly lectured the head of state whom he accused of not "knowing the French", also reproached him for his arrogance and his "very technocratic" approach to issues, and also pointed to his "lack of courage" on the pension reform, or even for having "offered Alstom to the German Chancellor.
All is now forgiven?
“I have evolved, the presidency of Emmanuel Macron too.
I assume all of my past remarks, ”assures the new convert to Macronism to the Parisian.
And to explain that "contrary to what I have read, he did not "burn the cash register"", in reference to the well-rehearsed punchline of Valérie Pécresse, the LR candidate that Éric Woerth has just released in In the countryside.
