Welcome to the Eurointelligence podcast with me this morning, Susanna Monsenk and Jack Smith.

We would like to talk about today two big political events that have taken place in Europe in the last week.

Germany has a new government, 16 years of Angela Merkel have ended, and France has a new contender for the presidency in Valerie Pecress.

Now, let us start with France. The Republican or Les Republicans primaries were a bit of a surprise.

Zanzana, how do you assess the political impact of the candidate?

Yes, the second round of the primaries, well, actually they're not officially primaries, but the selection

of the Republicans, the supporters were allowed to vote for their nominee for the presidential elections next year.

We had a double surprise.

The two frontrunners didn't win at all.

It was Michel Barnier and Xavier Bertrand,

and all the polls suggested before that these are the two

will end at the second round.

What happened instead is that Valééé Percris and Eric Chiotty,

who ended up in the second round, Eric Chotti,

comes from the region of Old Alp, and he represents the far-right wing of the party.

He himself endorsed Eric Zinmour and said, if ever there was a race between Macron and Zemort, he would vote Zemore.

So he was a bit of surprise candidate.

And because he was so free to enter the race and also the debates without any luggage

and without any political alliance, he could speak freely and clearly.

And that boosted him in the polls.

He won the first round and he lost the second.

Valerie Peck has got all the backing from all the grandees, everyone else in the party.

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