On Agen-Nérac, Lauzzana and Combres await their investiture, before their duel

In the first constituency of Lot-et-Garonne (known as « Agen-Nérac ») it is indeed a duel between Michel Lauzzana (outgoing deputy LREM) and Maryse Combres (Popular Ecological and Social Union) which is looming. Admittedly, the ink of the LFI-EELV-PCF-PS agreements is not yet dry, certainly the various executives or activists of the various partners have not yet given their green light, certainly the voters decide everything, but whatever we say the planets are clearly aligned for these two candidates (this, before the official nominations).

Regarding Maryse Combes, the situation is known. The municipal councilor of Agen and regional councilor of Europe ecology-the Greens (EELV) had been invested for the legislative elections in February by her party. However, the agreements signed in Paris with rebellious France reserve a hundred constituencies for the Greens, including the first of Lot-et-Garonne. And it’s hard to imagine Maryse Combres giving up her place to an Insoumis (which one anyway?). “We have to wait for the acceptance of this political agreement by our Federal Council, releases the regional councilor not without caution. Possible adjustments are possible.” On Agen-Nérac, the mass is however said, knowing that Maryse Combres has already led a list of the left gathered: during the municipal elections of 2020. She indeed represented the Greens, the PCF, the PS, and unions had supported her campaign (the Insoumis being absent).

The situation has changed

Since 2020 the situation has changed. “Each ballot has its own logic, she analyzes. In the regional elections, the PS was the winner, right? And in the first round of the presidential election, Agen voted first for Jean-Luc Mélenchon. encouragement. At the national level a citizens’ movement has risen, and we have heard it. The agreement to unify the left is a logical consequence of the first round. Diversity is a solution, everyone on the left will contribute to the common project.

This diversity amuses the outgoing deputy LREM Michel Lauzzana. The former socialist sees in these national agreements « the marriage of the carp and the rabbit », and patiently lists the points of contention between the new partners: Europe, nuclear power, secularism, etc. However, the numbers argue against it. The new bloc of the Popular Ecological and Social Union weighed 27% on the evening of the first round of the presidential election in the first constituency (18.6% of the vote for Mélenchon; 3.8% for Jadot; 2.8% for Roussel and 1.8% for Hidalgo) against 24.3% for Macron. The addition of votes is never reasonable, but the political weight of the left is indeed greater in Agen-Nérac…

Big fish to house

For the time being, the outgoing deputy LREM remains cautious, because his investiture has still not been announced by Paris, « but I remain confident », declares Michel Lauzzana. « It must fall on Wednesday, or Thursday, Friday at the latest. But I did not deserve it, and Horizons [NDLR : les amis d’Edouard Philippe] probably has bigger fish to squeeze in than Pierre Chollet on Agen-Nérac… »

If he is appointed, which there is no doubt, Michel Lauzzana intends to base himself on his balance sheet, and to scrap with Maryse Combres on local files. In essence, her opponent would be an impediment to developing in the round. Examples: the LGV, the TAG of Sainte-Colombe, farmers who are victims of the mistreatment of ecologists, etc.

While the arguments are being prepared, we are agitated elsewhere. Reconquest (Eric Zemmour) will be present in the three constituencies (Serge Pujol on Agen-Nérac and Geoffroy Gary on Villeneuve-Fumel), without forgetting an RN more confident than ever in Lot-et-Garonne (a priori Sébastien Delboscq on Agen-Nérac ) and the Republicans (Bertrand Girardi in the first constituency).

“Gros-Jean as before”?

And the PCF? He too will want to recover a constituency under the colors of the People’s Ecological and Social Union. The Communists of Lot-et-Garonne quickly wrote a press release on Tuesday, which is worth its weight in dialectics: « The unity of the new popular ecological and social Union presupposes respect for each of its components and the refusal of the ukases, but also the respect of the validated agreements. The stake is not only moral, the respect of the word given is crucial for the largest gathering. Any deviation is deadly for the legitimacy of the new Union, and strongly prejudicial to the victory of the What happened during the legislative elections of 2017 and 2012, where, despite national agreements, rebellious candidates ran against nationally legitimized communist candidates and allowed opponents from the right or far right to win the seat, must not happen again. It is in the interest of the French men and women, and of the country. Concerning the Lot-et-Garonne, we ask all the forces of the left constituting the new l Popular Ecological and Social Union, to continue the dialogue to develop together the best candidacies and the best political contents of unification for this legislative. Let’s continue to work collectively as we have done until today to give it a departmental meaning. » The Communists have a memory. Above all, they want a constituency and more than anything not to find themselves « Gros-Jean as before »…