His supporters regretted not hearing him: he finally chose to break the silence. In a lengthy interview with the magazine Le Point to be published Thursday, Laurent Wauquiez lifts a corner of the veil on his strategy for the presidential election of 2027. The LR president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region begins first by assuming his strategy of recent months, namely withdrawal and discretion. "I chose to take a step back, this does not only apply to pensions, but more broadly because I think we have to put everything back on track," he explains. He nevertheless clarifies his position on the pension reform - which he rather supports - while pleading for an adaptation of the level of pensions according to the situations and choices of each Frenchman, which would in fact discard the current principle of a rule common to all.
Read alsoThe confidences of Laurent Wauquiez, who is already preparing 2027
Denouncing a "political myopia", the one who appears as one of the presidentiables on the right also attacks the "legal monster" of independent administrative authorities, and "small administrative royalties". "A deep state has been formed," he denounced, before calling for "the suppression of almost all independent authorities", starting according to him with the CNIL, ANSES or Arcom. Way to hunt on the land of his internal rival, David Lisnard, mayor LR of Cannes and president of the Association of mayors of France.
"The weight of the France has continued to weaken"
Aware of having suffered from a lack of image with part of the opinion, Laurent Wauquiez sketches a personal mea culpa. "Yes, I have scars. I learned what the loneliness of failure is... I learned the importance of listening and humility. This is fundamental when you want to take care of the destiny of a country." He also admits to having "allowed himself to be damaged, dragged down by mediocre politics, by political confrontation and the game of small sentences...".
In the course of these confidences, released as a kind of self-criticism, Laurent Wauquiez finally measures his criticism of Emmanuel Macron, as if to win back the right-wing electorate party in the presidential camp. "Of course there have been useful things: the reduction of unemployment, the recovery of apprenticeships, a pro-business discourse to prevent those who succeed from leaving the France. I wouldn't say Macron is a disaster. He has achieved things, but he has not stopped decadence. And that's our challenge," he said. Similarly, anxious to be "fair" on the diplomatic level, Laurent Wauquiez judges that "Emmanuel Macron has managed to embody the France internationally". "He gave impetus at European level, he carried an ambition, ideas. He did not shame us, unlike his predecessor at times. But the weight of the France has continued to weaken," he continues.