By Michel Rose and Sophie Louet
PARIS (Reuters) – The conservative contender in the French presidential election, Valerie Pecresse, is fighting to keep her campaign afloat after a string of defections from her camp to President Emmanuel Macron and criticism from her party’s former head Nicolas Sarkozy.
Pecresse, a former minister in Sarkozy’s government, has been vying with far-right candidates Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour for second position in opinion polls – a sign that a place in a run-off against Macron, who leads the polls, is not guaranteed.
Recent gaffes, such as her failure to remember that Mali no longer had an ambassador in France, and her perceived lack of flair as a speaker have cost her momentum in polls since her post-selection bounce.
Some personalities in her party, such as former Budget Minister Eric Woerth, have defected to Macron in recent days, raising fears other big names could follow.
A report in the French conservative bible, Le Figaro, cited scathing private comments from former President Sarkozy, whose views still carry weight among right-of-centre voters.
In the article, Sarkozy is cited as saying: “Who’s talking of Valerie Pecresse? She’s nowhere.” and “Valerie did not understand anything to campaigning, and she would be well advised to cite me a bit if she wants my support.”
Pecresse met Sarkozy at his office near the Elysee palace on Friday, telling reporters afterwards it had been “very useful to receive the advice of a former president” in what had been akin to “a family moment”.
Sarkozy’s office also gave a positive account of the meeting, saying the pair had a “deep discussion” in a “warm and friendly atmosphere”.
Pecresse will hold what is touted by rivals and campaign insiders as a make-or-break campaign rally on Sunday.
(Writing by Michel Rose; Editing by Alex Richardson)
