Emmanuel Macron’s party braces for a kicking in mayoral elections
Terrible results are expected
DRESSED IN A Barbour coat and clutching a NATO-embossed umbrella, the retired general strides down the streets as if into battle. “I’m not a politician,” declares Bertrand de la Chesnais as he knocks vigorously on doors, which are opened cautiously, if at all: “But I know how to run an organisation.” Dividing Carpentras into eight districts, he has chalked up 5,000 doors in this Provençal town of 29,000 people since last August. The general’s aim: to raise his profile as a candidate for mayor—backed by Marine Le Pen (pictured).
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “A kicking on the way”
From the March 14th 2020 edition
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