The general delegate of La République en Marche (LREM) Stanislas Guerini on Wednesday defended Jérôme Peyrat, candidate of the presidential majority for the legislative elections, convicted of domestic violence, immediately triggering criticism from the opposition.

This former counselor at the Élysée Palace was sentenced in September 2020 to a suspended fine of 3,000 euros in a case of violence against an ex-companion.

For her part, the outgoing deputy LREM Jacqueline Dubois announced in the morning on Twitter to maintain her candidacy, dissenting, in this 4th constituency of Dordogne. “Nothing should slow down the fight for the place of women in our society. I made this sentence of Élisabeth Borne Prime Minister mine. I am a candidate for my re-election. Loyal, free, determined”, she wrote .

Asked about France Info, Stanislas Guerini described Jérôme Peyrat as “an honest man. I don’t believe he is capable of violence against women,” he said.

“If I had the conviction or even the suspicion that we are dealing with someone who could be violent and guilty of violence against women, I would never have accepted this investiture,” he said. .

Mr. Guerini declared that he had “taken the time to read the recitals (of the judgment, editor’s note), to understand, to know if basically, we could have someone who could be capable of voluntary violence, I believe and I am even infinitely convinced that it was not the case”.

The general delegate of LREM also assured that it was necessary “to look at things in their complexity”. “In this case, there was a dispute, two convictions, on both sides and I believe that we can respect that”, he added, stressing that the ex-companion of Mr. Peyrat “was also condemned”.

The violence observed had earned his ex-partner 14 days of ITT.

According to France Bleu, she herself was fined 500 and 800 euros for malicious calls and SMS to Mr. Peyrat and relatives.

On social networks, this defense of Mr. Peyrat immediately earned Stanislas Guerini a slew of criticism from the opposition.

“What a shame, what a shipwreck,” reacted LFI MP Mathilde Panot on Twitter.

“I am thinking of the women victims of domestic violence who hear these remarks of incredible violence. Going from the great cause of the quinquennium to the great tartufferie. A reaction is needed from the leader of the majority Élisabeth Borne”, was indignant the senator socialist Rachid Temal.

This investiture of Jérôme Peyrat provokes shocks even in the majority.

“Can a candidate make citizens want to get involved when he takes the place of the first woman elected MP in our constituency? (…) Finally, will he be able to defend the great cause of the quinquennium, precisely that of women?”, Wrote Sunday in a statement by local activists LREM, supporters of Jacqueline Dubois.

In the wake of the MeToo movement, accusations of violence against women have arisen in an unprecedented way in the campaign for the June legislative elections: in addition to the withdrawal of Taha Bouhafs from LFI, several candidates are under fire from critics.

05/18/2022 14:26:25 –         Paris (AFP) –         © 2022 AFP