Angers centrifugal forces

The Udi delegate Laurent Gérault (right)

The Angers centrists will go divided to the 2014 municipal elections. While the national decision-makers of the Mouvement démocrate (Modem) decided to join Christophe Béchu, the Union pour une majorité populaire candidate, the Union des démocrates indépendants (Udi) president, Jean-Louis Borloo, officialy supported the candidacy of Laurent Gérault, his delegate in Maine-et-Loire. So Modem, behind Mr. Béchu, and Udi will fight on the first round of municipal elections. If Modem and Udi decided to be allied at a national level under the brand "L'Alternative", that alliance will not be implemented in Angers.

Bernard Dupré,  Angers Modem

"It is not the alliance [of the Modem] with Ump which disturbs us because that is consistent with what has been done since five years. No what is disturbing it's the centrist forces, Udi and Modem, are scattered", says Laurent Gérault. The Modem which, a few weeks ago, disclosed that the final decision was the responsability of the national level, explained finally that "The decision was based on the choices made up by their Maine-et-Loire members" and pointed out that "Christophe Béchu is the only one able to embody a new vision and to carry the hope of a new policy for Angers".

The Ump Christophe Béchu

But it also reminded that "the Maine-et-Loire centre can only be strong only if it is fully gathered", what is currently far to be effective. Mr Borloo's support for Mr. Gérault was as clear as the Modem's one in favour of Mr. Béchu. "I'm convinced that Laurent Gérault will be able to carry a humanist, modern and ambitious project in order to match with Angevins and Angevines' worries", he said.

But things are not simple because some of the Modem supporters decided to rally to Laurent Gérault, while others of Udi choose to go with Christophe Béchu... If all of them considers the Maine-et-Loire needs centrists, the Maine-et-Loire centrists do not need each others.