“I will very likely vote for Marine Le Pen”: the mayor of Romans-sur-Isère refuses to support Mélenchon in the second round

Marie-Hélène Thoraval leaves little doubt about her choice in the event of a second round opposing Marine Le Pen to Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Invited to Sud Radio on Tuesday, November 10, the right-wing mayor of Romans-sur-Isère, in Drôme, stated that she would “very likely” vote for the National Rally candidate in this scenario. “I will not cast a blank vote. I think I will very likely vote for Marine Le Pen,” she declared on Jacques Cardoze’s microphone. A notable stance from an elected official who does not support the RN candidate in the first round and who says she is committed to the emergence of a joint candidacy from the center and the right. Her announced choice reflects a particularly firm opposition to the La France Insoumise program.

Marie-Hélène Thoraval did not spare Jean-Luc Mélenchon during her interview. She accuses him of behaving like a “monarch” and considers that some of his proposals would, according to her, amount to a “dictatorship policy.” The mayor of Romans-sur-Isère is particularly concerned about the place given to private property in the insoumis program and says she fears the consequences of Jean-Luc Mélenchon arriving at the Élysée. These accusations constitute her political assessment of the LFI project, which presents itself as a movement defending a democratic transformation of institutions. Nevertheless, the elected official justifies her position by explaining that she would categorically refuse to vote for the insoumis candidate, even in a scenario where her opponent would be Marine Le Pen.

A right-wing elected official calling on Gabriel Attal to withdraw

The mayor of Romans-sur-Isère does not give up defending another candidacy in the first round. She believes that the leaders of the center and the right must quickly overcome their rivalries in order to propose a common alternative. Asked about the multiplication of candidates, she notably called on Gabriel Attal to withdraw his candidacy, considering that the former Prime Minister is struggling in the polls. She is, however, reserved about the principle of a primary, which she does not necessarily consider suitable for the current timetable. Marie-Hélène Thoraval rather wishes that the main political leaders discuss directly among themselves to reach an agreement. She says she appreciates Édouard Philippe, while refusing to give him definitive support before the situation clarifies.

Her statements come as opinion polls continue to test different second-round configurations and as divisions within the center and right fuel discussions about a primary. Marie-Hélène Thoraval believes that the multiplication of candidacies risks preventing this political space from presenting a coherent project. Her position on a possible duel between Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon also raises the question of vote transfers in the second round, without allowing to predict the behavior of all right-wing voters.