“I urgently need your help,” said the ex-candidate for the grand old political movement of Charles de Gaulle

Only weeks ago Pécresse, a seasoned politician and former minister, seemed to have a chance of becoming France’s first woman president. 

Yet here she was, pleading for cash outside party headquarters after taking on €5mn of personal debt and realising the state would not reimburse €7mn of campaign expenses because she unexpectedly secured less than 5 per cent of the votes.

FT 14 April 2022

https://www.ft.com/content/2ea03c22-e34e-4776-b9b1-3c066c5815c7