He does so “out of civic concern”, to avoid “a serious attack on democracy” and “so that demagogues do not play the victim”. The LR mayor of Cannes David Lisnard announced this Sunday evening in a video broadcast on Twitter that he was granting his sponsorship for the presidential election to Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
The leader of La France insoumise (LFI) has so far only obtained 370 supporters out of the 500 necessary to present himself. “I have decided to sponsor the candidate from whom I am furthest removed. I ardently fight his convictions, his ideas and his values, but he must be able to compete, ”explains David Lisnard, who also supports Valérie Pécresse, the candidate Les Républicains who already benefits from the necessary sponsorships.
“Sponsorships are not worth support”
The mayor of Cannes, president of the Association of Mayors of France, specifies that he took this initiative “in a personal capacity” and “to show that the sponsorships” granted by mayors, parliamentarians or even regional or departmental elected “not worth supporting”. If Emmanuel Macron, Anne Hidalgo and Valérie Pécresse have already obtained enough initials to be able to present themselves, others have more difficulty completing this prerequisite as the March 4 deadline approaches.
“If Jean-Luc Mélenchon, or Marine Le Pen, who has a long-standing presence with a major political party […]or Eric Zemmour, who has a dynamic, could not present themselves, this would be a serious attack on democracy, ”warned David Lisnard.