He did not hide. Former Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Thursday to vote for the outgoing right-wing president Valérie Pécresse, in the second round of regional in Île-de-France to be held on Sunday.
“As I am frank, direct, I will vote Valérie Pécresse because I consider that there is this danger”, announced Manuel Valls at the microphone of Europe 1, referring to the “danger” that he believes represents the left coalition led by Julien Bayou who brings together the EELV, PS and LFI lists.
Manuel Valls, “Monsieur Carnaval”
For the former Prime Minister, this list embodies the “danger of those who have turned their backs on the Republic”. Allying with La France insoumise is “a moral fault” judged the losing candidate in the primary of the left in 2017, who denounced “the ambiguities, the compromises of members of the lists of rebellious France in Île-de-France with Islamism, in relation to the fight against anti-Semitism, support for the police, on secularism ”.
The reaction of the left camp was not long in coming. Manuel Valls, “it is the useful idiot of the right and the extreme right”, estimated at the same time the deputy LFI Alexis Corbière on France 2, “Mr. Carnival”, “a type hated in France, hated in Catalonia, a man without morality ”and“ who comes to take his turn insulting us ”.
The former socialist president of Ile-de-France will also vote Valérie Pécresse
“I have had enough of people allowing themselves to say that we would be enemies of the Republic,” he added. Valérie Pécresse greeted on Franceinfo the “support in responsibility” of Manuel Valls and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (who announced yesterday his intention to vote for her). “Nothing brings them together, but a fight unites them: to fight against the extreme left”, she declared.
In the columns of Point, Jean-Paul Huchon, the former socialist president of the Île-de-France region (1998-2015) also made a surprising announcement: “I vote without hesitation Valérie Pécresse”, to counter a “baroque alliance”. Asked about putting Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Le Pen on the same level, Manuel Valls replied: “yes, of course, without any hesitation”, qualifying as “a terrible choice to make”, a possible second round of the presidential election between these two declared candidates.