The French Republican Party Elects Its First Female Presidential Candidate

Valerie Pecresse Elected Ile-de-France Governor in Runoff
Analysis of Macron, France President's Strong Rival in Re-election Bid

[Asia Economy International Department Reporter] For the first time in history, a woman has been selected as the right-leaning Republican presidential candidate to challenge in the French presidential election next April.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

On the 4th (local time), the French Republicans announced that Val?rie P?cresse (54), Governor of ?le-de-France, was elected in the final round of the presidential candidate primary.

In the first round, Representative ?ric Ciotti ranked first and Governor P?cresse was second, but in the runoff, P?cresse was surprisingly elected with 61% of the vote, defeating Ciotti who received 39%. This is the first time the French Republicans have selected a woman as their presidential candidate.

Calling herself the "Iron Lady" and a "hard worker," she compared herself to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. After her surprise election, P?cresse told BFM TV, "A woman like me who stands firm in her convictions, has courage, and gets things done can defend the interests of our people with all her might, just like Chancellor Merkel or Prime Minister Thatcher."

Having spent part of her childhood at a Soviet youth camp, she shares the trait of fluency in Russian with Chancellor Merkel.

Born in the suburbs of Paris, candidate P?cresse graduated from the ?cole Nationale d'Administration, the same as President Emmanuel Macron, and began her public service career as an aide to former President Jacques Chirac. She later gained national fame serving as spokesperson and budget minister during former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s administration, and was elected Governor of ?le-de-France in 2015.

Candidate P?cresse has prominently advocated for the "restoration of French pride," pledging budget cuts, immigration control, defense of family values, and a crackdown on crime and war.

Among the French presidential candidates, the Republican candidate’s support rate is not yet high enough to advance to the final round of the election. However, experts analyze that if P?cresse gains momentum in the polls, she could become the biggest rival to President Macron, who is seeking re-election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.