© EC – Audiovisual Service
–
Former EU Commissioner Michel Barnier, who led Brexit talks with London, has announced that he will run for president of France as the leading contender for the right-wing nomination.
He is the fourth politician on the right to run against President Emmanuel Macron in next April’s election. There has been speculation about his intentions for months, but tonight he put an end to speculation. According to local analysts, Barnier could be a “joker” in the race.
“It is important to unite the right, the center, to control immigration, to restore respect for work in the heart of our society and to decarbonise our economy,” he said.
The answer as to who the right-wing candidate will be should come to the Republican party congress on September 25th. After concluding some of the most complex negotiations in the history of the EU, Barnier returned to France, increased his meetings, including with MPs, senators and candidates for various elections, where he discussed larger topics, Le Monde reports. To that end, former Prime Minister Jacques Chirac’s cabinet has set up a Patriots and Europeans working group.
He is considered one of the most capable political figures on the right – a pro-European defending France in Europe. He has been compared to Joe Biden in his ability to listen to and unite people with different beliefs, as well as with enough international fame for a president of the republic. But there are people on the right who think he is too close to the center, not much different from the liberal Macron, and too much of a technocrat.
–
