Losing candidate Pecresse appeals to voters to donate for campaign debts
After the French conservative Pecresse failed to meet the 5% vote threshold that allows her to be compensated for her electoral campaign costs, she is seeking help from voters.
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Losing candidate Valerie Pecresse
French presidential candidate Valerie Pecresse appealed for donations on Monday to be able to pay off her campaign debt.
"The financial position of my campaign is now critical. We are not getting the 5% of the vote required to receive a refund of 7 million euros ($7.6 million) from the state. We need 7 million [euros] to complete this campaign. My personal debt is 5 million euros. I announce a nationwide appeal for donations," she told reporters.
Republican candidate Valérie Pécresse announced on Sunday that she bears responsibility for the loss, announcing her support for President Emmanuel Macron in the second round against the far-right Le Pen.
Incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron and his far-right opponent Marine Le Pen led the polls during the first round of the French presidential elections on Sunday, with a slight lead for Macron, who won 28.1-29.7%, around 5% more than Le Pen's 23.3-24.7%.
The top two candidates will face each other in the second round set for April 24, projections by polling firms for French television channels said based on a sample of votes.
The other candidates, Jean-Luc Melenchon, Eric Zemmour, Valerie Pecresse, and Yannick Jadot received 20.1%, 7.2%, 5%, and 4.4%, respectively.
The French law stipulated that candidates for the presidency who win in the 1st round more than 5% of the vote can be compensated from public funds 47% of the costs of their presidential campaign. The total expenses of candidates in the first round are not to exceed 16.85 million euros.
