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France 24
France 24
National

Defections sap conservative contender Pécresse in French presidential race

Valérie Pécresse Nicolas Sarkozy Emmanuel Macron Eric Zemmour Les Républicains Paris
Valérie Pécresse, the presidential candidate of French conservative party Les Républicains, arrives for a meeting with former French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on February 11, 2022. © Julien de Rosa, AFP

The conservative right-wing challenger to Emmanuel Macron in the looming French presidential vote grappled Friday with a wave of defections, while hoping former president Nicolas Sarkozy would finally offer his full-throated support.

Valérie Pécresse, whose poll numbers have stagnated since winning the conservative Les Républicains party primary in December, suffered the high-profile desertions just days ahead of her inaugural campaign rally.

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