General Christophe Gomart, former head of military intelligence and special forces, will occupy third place on the list of the Les Républicains (LR) party for the European elections on June 9, party leader Eric Ciotti announced on Tuesday March 19.
“At a time when wars are knocking on the doors of Europe (…), being able to have the experience and competence [of Mr. Gomart] is an important asset,” said Mr. Ciotti during a conference of press at LR’s Paris headquarters.
“Jumping into the deep political bath is not completely exempt from danger,” he nevertheless warned the former paratrooper, who will appear in third position in the list led by the outgoing François-Xavier Bellamy, who is stagnating around 7% in polls. “I am committed to the Republicans, which is the party of order and freedom,” affirmed Mr. Gomart, assuring “I believe very much in the commitment” and recalling that he “had served the country for thirty- six years ".
Regalian profile
A regular on television sets, Mr. Gomart will speak on Saturday at the first campaign meeting of the right, in Aubervilliers, in Seine-Saint-Denis. He is called upon to intervene in a European campaign which is marked by support for Ukraine against Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Asked about Emmanuel Macron’s recent statements on Ukraine, Mr. Gomart echoed the words of Polish President Donald Tusk, “real solidarity with Ukraine? Fewer words, more ammo.” Aged 64, from Saint-Cyr, his profile responds to the desire of the right to place a sovereign profile at number three on the list, after having designated the farmer Céline Imart as number two.
Mr. Gomart was national intelligence coordinator at the Elysée, from 2008 to 2011, under Nicolas Sarkozy before taking charge of military intelligence in 2013. He left the army in 2017 to join the real estate group commercial Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, as director of safety and engineering.
