The senatorial elections will be held on Sunday September 27 for the “series 2” constituencies. The President of the Senate, Gerard Larcher, undertook a tour of the departments concerned. This Tuesday, September 22, it will be Ille-et-Vilaine. In an interview with West France, he evokes his concerns in this return, his expectations with regard to the Senate and the situation of the Republicans, of the right and of the center concerning the elections which will follow. Including the presidential election of 2022.
What do you think of the government’s strategy to contain the epidemic?
I had an exchange with the Prime Minister in early September, during which I drew his attention to the need to prioritize tests to avoid laboratory congestion. I understand that this also annoys the President of the Republic, and I think he is right. If the test results cannot be delivered on time, the whole system collapses.
The whole system?
As long as we do not have a vaccine solution, the issue of tracing is central. And all of this is recreating doubts, tensions… Now that we have solved the problem of masks, we really need to have a system that works! This is a real concern for which an answer must be provided. We must prioritize the tests, continue to call for the responsibility of all for barrier gestures and rely on the territories.
Rely on the territories to manage the pandemic?
The pandemic and the recovery plan. It seems to me to be totally essential that it be the prefect-mayor couple who can make the decisions. This can vary depending on the territories, but there are places where this couple is really ideal. We must avoid re-containment at all costs. I have, in particular, a real concern about establishments which welcome the elderly. Completely reconfining our elders would have completely deleterious effects, I am sure. We must not oppose the generations, and treat the responses territorially.
What do you think of the stimulus plan?
I find that its general orientations are good, but it is necessary to create a real shock of recovery. Two questions arise. First, how do you go about applying a maximum of measures before the 1is January ? There is urgency for certain sectors, knowing that the main part of the credits cannot legally be committed before this date. I proposed that we could take “decrees in advance” to accelerate. Second, how to ensure that the resources released will not go only to large communities or large companies? If we want the plan to be effective and useful, the prefects must be in charge. That they regain authority over services and truly carry the recovery plan. Otherwise, SMEs, which nevertheless constitute the bulk of our economic fabric and jobs, will miss out. And it will also be necessary to review the rules of public procurement. Without this, not all announced credits will be consumed.
You have spoken on several occasions about the increase in violence this coming back to school. Do we have a real topic or is this a new surge in the “feeling” of insecurity?
It’s not a feeling, it’s a reality! I have already traveled to about twenty departments for the senatorial elections and I can tell you that the subject is mentioned everywhere. When the mayors of municipalities with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants ask to see you to tell you about it, you quickly understand that we have a real problem. In twenty years, assaults on people holding public authority have dropped from 15,500 to 38,500. Citizens believe that the State is powerless and that there is impunity for delinquents. That too, I told the Prime Minister. It is an essential subject for the Republic and for the confidence of citizens in the rule of law. I hope that the change in the doctrine of policing and the effort in the direction of justice which has just been announced will be implemented. But there are many other fractures that concern me.
Which ones?
What happens vis-à-vis the agricultural world, in the first place. I admit that I do not understand how a minister can sign “the call of the poppies” against pesticides [Barbara Pompili, ministre de la Transition écologique – NDLR] for example. In the Aisne, I felt the discouragement of the farmers. In the Drôme, the despair of breeders over the question of the wolf. Same thing with 5G. Speaking of a moratorium when 30% of the country does not have access to correct Internet coverage, it is still very urban as a view of things! We are in dogmatism when we should be pragmatic, dialogue, walk towards each other. We build or maintain fractures between urban and rural, between large and small towns… We had “the France next door” after the attacks, then the yellow vests. Today, France needs to be “sewn up”. This is one of the missions of the Senate, chamber of the territories. Sew up the territories. Sew up the country.
What will the new Senate look like after the election on Sunday, September 27 in half of the departments?
The electoral college of the senatorial being composed of 95% of elected officials and municipal delegates, these elections will reflect the last municipal ones. As they were won by elected officials belonging mainly to the families of the center and the Republican right, who make up the current senatorial majority, I expect a stability in the results.
The Greens, who won nine big cities in the municipal elections, will they have a group?
It would make sense, yes, knowing that the Greens have had their own group in the Senate in the past. It will not be a novelty.
And the presidential election? You are campaigning for the rapid development of a “tie-breaker process” for a candidate from the right and the center while The Republicans have decided to postpone the question until next year …
I am a unifier and I will continue to work on the development of a process allowing all the components of the right and the center to be associated. I am convinced that we cannot limit ourselves to only the parties, or to something that looks like the primary we experienced. If we don’t have a single candidate in the first round, we won’t be in the second. To be in the majority at the local level and to be unable to be in the second round of the presidential election would be irresponsible. My job will be to prepare well for this process. Share it in the name of this responsibility. And launch it just after the departmental and regional elections, which we will have to win and on which I will devote all my energy. In any case, we will have to have chosen by next summer.
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