Paris. By-election: Michel Barnier calls on his rival Rachida Dati not to "make a mistake" in the election.
Rachida Dati has "a legitimate ambition" for the Paris mayoralty and must "not make a mistake" in her election by also running for the partial legislative election in the capital, commented her rival Michel Barnier.
The battle between Michel Barnier and Rachida Dati for the partial legislative election in Paris continues. In La Tribune on Sunday , the former Prime Minister urged his rival, who has "a legitimate ambition" for the Paris mayoralty, not to "make a mistake" in the election by also running for the legislative election in the capital's second constituency . "I want Parisians to be able to vote for rather than against someone. It is up to Rachida Dati, who has a legitimate ambition to lead united lists in Paris, not to make a mistake and to choose the right path," declared the candidate designated by LR for this legislative election in detail.
"I'm not a candidate for anything other than the parliamentary seat," Michel Barnier insisted. "Rachida Dati knows this. I told her and even wrote to the members of Les Républicains [...] There's no ambiguity about that," he added, saying he was ready to support the Minister of Culture in her race for City Hall.
Barnier “parachuted”?Rachida Dati announced her candidacy for this by-election on Monday, launching hostilities against the short-lived former Prime Minister, who represents the same party, LR. Those close to the mayor of the 7th arrondissement, who was sent on July 22nd to stand trial for corruption and influence peddling , fear that Michel Barnier also has ambitions for the Paris mayoralty if she cannot run. They also accuse him of being "parachuted in." "It's been more than 25 years since I voluntarily left my position in Savoie," "I've been a Parisian for more than 20 years. I've lived in this constituency for more than 12 years," he replies.
These rivalries risk leading to a new fratricidal war, something that Les Républicains is accustomed to. To try to avoid this, LR hopes to reach an agreement with Rachida Dati "by the start of the school year."
Asked about the ambitions that some attribute to him for 2027, Michel Barnier reiterates that he will be "present in the public debate" for the presidential and legislative elections.
Le Progres
