The Agricultural Show continued this Monday in Paris. After the rowdy inauguration on Saturday by President Macron, the tension went down a notch at the Porte de Versailles. This Monday, it was the rebellious LFI, the socialists of the PS and the Republicans (LR) who were at the farmers’ bedside. Eric Ciotti’s party highlighted its asset for the European campaign: a farmer.
4 mins
With our special correspondent, Pierrick Bonno
Her name is Céline Imart. She is second on the Republican list for the next European elections, just behind François-Xavier Bellamy. A discreet farmer, who sneaks through the aisles of the Salon between the boss of her party Éric Ciotti and his head of list.
Céline Imart knows a lot of people at the Salon, notably the boss of the Young Farmers union. Arnaud Gaillot who confides in her, tired of the lasting crisis: “ What are we going to play, wear and tear? ?, he asks. And what will that mean, that means we will have more agriculture tomorrow? ? It makes no sense. So our proposals are on the table. To those who say that intelligent unions have no proposals, they are liars. It’s all in the hands ! » « Hold fast “, Céline Imart told him.
Contact is easy. A farmer who knows how to talk to farmers? The party hopes to take advantage of it next June. The candidate still can’t get over finding herself propelled into politics. “ It makes me really weird, she confides., because I have been doing the Show for years, but on the side of the farmers who bring their demands, their points of view, to the politicians who parade, so I am still in shock to be on the other side Today. »
But Céline Imart is aware of the difficulties of her party to exist in this campaign, stuck between the National Rally and Macronie, and while the LR does not exceed 8% in the polls. “ It’s difficult, she concedes. Finally, I know very well that I am committed today to a party which has this challenge, of existence between two parties which today communicate a lot », namely Renaissance and the RN. “ But that’s the game, I want to wear something serious. »
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“Look who did what”
Éric Ciotti, François-Xavier Bellamy, Olivier Marleix… This Monday, the visit of other LR executives went much more unnoticed than that, over two days, of RN boss Jordan Bardella, a few stands away. But the three leaders of the party did not escape criticism from farmers. “ Stop showing off, and do things for agriculture! », Said a man to the president of the movement.
The head of the party list, François-Xavier Bellamy, stops and engages in discussion with three representatives of rural coordination, reputed to be close to the extreme right. “ It was we who brought an ecological barrier to filter what is imported into Europe and better protect our market, and the RN voted against that, because it was European, he defends. There is a moment, we must also look at the reality of each person’s behavior, and each person’s record. And we, in this election, we are simply saying something very, very clear: everyone is going to make you promises, everyone is going to make declarations of love to you, look at who did what. »
Put forward an assessment to counter the National Rally on one side, Macronie on the other; such is the bet of the LR in this campaign. At the end of the day, a deputy appears and dares to make a prediction: “ We are clearly challengers. If we make 8% next June, that will already be good. »
The Salon continues this Tuesday, with a visit which will be scrutinized, the second by Gabriel Attal. After the chaotic opening of the show on Saturday by the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, who already went there on Sunday evening, will try to put the pieces back together.
This Monday, the future head of the LFI list for the European elections, MEP Manon Aubry, accused Emmanuel Macron and Jordan Bardella at the Salon, whom she nicknamed “ Dupond and Dupont “, of “ defend the same agricultural model “. “ Together, the Macronists and the far right defended the same agricultural model, that of an agro-industrial agriculture, that of an agriculture dependent on pesticides, that of an agriculture placed in competition with the European Union, the Ukraine and the whole world “, she told the press.
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