Olivier Véran is a candidate in the legislative elections in Isère. In addition to the confidence of Isère voters to send it to the Assembly, the result of the very recent Minister of Relations with Parliament will also be that of a sanction vote after two years at the Ministry of Health…
It is the lot of every minister. But the stake is perhaps a little more important still for Olivier Véran during these legislative elections 2022. While the ballot supposed to designate the deputies of the next legislature begins this Sunday, June 12, with the first round, the Elysée has recalled that ministers who lose the ballot should leave the government. However, the very recent Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with Parliament, appointed in the Borne government in May, is trying to re-enter the first constituency of his native department, Isère. A constituency that covers part of Grenoble, as well as the municipalities of Meylan and Saint-Ismier.
For these legislative elections, Olivier Véran will therefore play his role in the government, but probably a little more. It will indeed be difficult for him to escape a very particular analysis this Sunday evening: his result will inevitably be perceived as the sanction, severe or lenient, of his policy at the Ministry of Health for the past two years. Appointed avenue de Ségur in February 2020, in the midst of the explosion of the coronavirus epidemic in France, Olivier Véran will indeed have been the minister of confinements and restrictions. That of the health and vaccination pass too, which will have revolted part of the population. His decision to embark on the battle for the legislative elections, like the choice of the presidential majority to invest him, therefore constitutes a risk: that of making, in the event of defeat, a symbol of the rejection of the government’s health policy during the pandemic.
Olivier Véran favorite for the legislative elections
In truth, Olivier Véran is a big favorite. The former Minister of Health has a good local presence. Born in Saint-Martin-d’Hères, in the suburbs of Grenoble, he was regional councilor for Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes from 2016 to 2021. During the 2017 legislative elections, he easily won the ballot for the first constituency of Isère, where he was already running under the LREM label: well ahead in the first round (47.21%, almost 30 points ahead of the second candidate), he was elected in the second round with 68.09% of the votes. Olivier Véran sat in the National Assembly until March 16, 2020, the date of his appointment to the Ministry of Health. It was then his substitute, Camille Gaillard-Minier, who took over.
In addition, during the presidential election, the first constituency of Isère voted very favorably to Emmanuel Macron. The outgoing president came out on top in the first round, with 33.5% of the votes cast, then in the second round with 79.1%. A clear victory which bodes well for Olivier Véran. These legislative elections should therefore not be a problem for the Minister Delegate, who should easily remain in government.
Who are the candidates for the legislative elections against Olivier Véran?
Nine candidates declared themselves in the first constituency of Isère. Olivier Véran will face Aurore Meyrieux for the RN, Salomé Robin for the Nupes, Brigitte Boer of the Republicans, Marine Chiaberto for Reconquest!, Bruno Lafeuille for Debout la France, as well as a various left applications, that of Rémi Adam, and two environmental applications dissidents, those of Agnese Pignataro and François-Marie Perier.
What position does Olivier Véran occupy in the new government?
Olivier Véran was a highly publicized Minister of Health between February 2020 and May 2022, due to his management of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though the circumstances made him a contested figure of the macronie, Emmanuel Macron made the choice to keep him in the new government of Elisabeth Borne. Olivier Véran has therefore been appointed Minister Delegate in charge of relations with Parliament. This position is placed under the direct authority of the Prime Minister. Olivier Véran’s main task is to take charge of the calendar of government bills presented to Parliament.
Who is Olivier Véran’s girlfriend?
The former Minister of Health was married for 10 years to Camille Lesne, an obstetrician-gynecologist also based in Isère. From 2018 to 2021, he shared his life with Coralie Dubost, the LREM deputy for Hérault. The latter, recently pinned by Mediapart for abusive advances of mandate fees and questionable human resources management, does not stand for re-election during these 2022 legislative elections.