Sylvain Berrios, a member of the Les Républicains party, has announced his candidacy in the 1st district of Val-de-Marne with the support of Edouard Philippe’s party, as well as François-Xavier Bellamy and Annie Genevard. This puts him in direct competition with the incumbent candidate, Frédéric Descrozaille, who has been officially endorsed by the Renaissance party. Berrios has emphasized the need to build a new majority by bringing together supporters beyond just Les Républicains and Horizons, the party of Edouard Philippe.
Berrios will be running alongside Adrien Caillerez, the current delegate of Horizons in Val-de-Marne. Caillerez, a former collaborator of Edouard Philippe at Matignon from 2017 to 2020, currently serves as a special advisor to Minister Marie Lebec. Berrios has made it clear that he will not campaign under the banner of “Together for the Republic,” which is meant to bring together candidates from the majority parties. Instead, he will run under both the Les Républicains and Horizons labels, as Horizons has chosen to participate in the legislative elections under its own name.
Negotiations between Renaissance, Horizons, and the MoDem parties have hit a roadblock due to disagreements over candidate endorsements in some constituencies. There is a possibility of having two candidates from the majority parties running in certain districts. Christian Cambon, the senator for Val-de-Marne responsible for candidate endorsements in the department, confirms that Berrios is the candidate for Les Républicains in the district and is receiving support from Horizons. It is likely that there will be more joint candidacies as the two parties are finalizing a broader agreement.
Berrios and Caillerez’s candidacy in the Val-de-Marne district demonstrates a departure from the previous election strategy, where Horizons ran under an alliance with other parties. The decision to run independently signals a shift in the dynamics of the majority parties in the upcoming legislative elections. The support from Edouard Philippe’s party for Berrios highlights the complexity of alliances and endorsements within the political landscape leading up to the elections.
This move by Berrios and Caillerez reflects a strategic decision to build a new majority coalition beyond traditional party lines. By bringing together supporters of Les Républicains, Horizons, and other parties, they aim to create a unified front that can challenge the incumbent candidate endorsed by Renaissance. The upcoming legislative elections in the Val-de-Marne district will be closely watched as a test of the success of this new approach to forming alliances and securing endorsements in the political arena.
Overall, the decision by Sylvain Berrios and Adrien Caillerez to run in the legislatives elections as candidates supported by Horizons in opposition to those endorsed by Renaissance signals a significant shift in the political landscape of the Val-de-Marne district. The outcome of this contest will not only determine the representation in the National Assembly but also showcase the evolving dynamics of coalition-building and strategic alliances among political parties in France.
