Unanimity, minus two. Weakened by their score obtained in the first round of the presidential election – 4.8% of votes in favor of Valérie Pécresse -, Les Républicains (LR) met on Tuesday April 26 during a strategic council to determine their positioning in legislative view. With a question: should we join the rally advocated by Emmanuel Macron and desired by Nicolas Sarkozy, or should we remain in opposition?
At this meeting, a motion was passed to affirm: “Our political family carries its own voice” of one “independent and popular right which must exist by itself”. “We refuse the logic of the single party at the disposal of the President of the Republic”adds this text adopted unanimously, minus two abstentions, those of the boss of the LR deputies, Damien Abad, and that of the mayor of La Garenne-Colombes and candidate for Congress last fall, Philippe Juvin.
“I believe that the parties of government must work together”, said Mr. Juvin on his arrival at LR headquarters, before the holding of this strategic committee. Mr. Abad, who did not speak, is himself suspected within the party of wanting to cooperate with the president re-elected on Sunday.
But Tuesday, the president of the party, Christian Jacob, was firm at the end of the meeting. “There is no dual membership, there never will be” et “we cannot be Republicans and the presidential majority”, he hammered in front of the press. As in 2017, LR candidates for the legislative elections will have to sign a « engagement » assuring that they will sit ” in a group [à l’Assemblée] which is completely independent macronists.
LR will stay “force of proposal”et “if reforms go in the right direction, our parliamentary group will be able to assume its responsibilities and vote for them”, added Mr. Jacob. But “If they don’t go, we will be in opposition”.
« Courage »
Since the first round of the presidential election, the party remains divided on the strategy to follow. LR treasurer Daniel Fasquelle pleaded last week for support “demanding and attentive” to Emmanuel Macron with regard to “measures that will have to be taken for France to recover”and in order to “bringing the country together in an ambitious project”.
This support “is not a rallying point but marks a desire to act in dialogue with the President of the Republic”, then tried to correct Mr. Fasquelle. But the reactions were quick. “If there is a little energy left in Daniel Fasquelle, he could become treasurer of the committee of the leche to Emmanuel Macron”launched LR number three, Aurélien Pradié, on twitter. “If there is a little courage left in Aurélien Pradier [sic] that he calls me rather than insulting me on social networks”, replied the mayor of Le Touquet. Response from the general secretary of LR: ” Nope. Not want. Sorry. »
The last president of the right-wing party, Nicolas Sarkozy, had also pleaded in favor of the rally desired by Emmanuel Macron, during the between-two-rounds. According to him, “a new era is dawning [qui] will require profound changes” and of “get out of habits and partisan reflexes”. “Fidelity to the values of the Republican right and to our culture of government must lead us to respond to the call for Emmanuel Macron’s rally in view of the presidential election”, he said in a statement posted on social networks on April 12. This position had been widely criticized by some Republicans, some of them, such as LR Vice-President Gilles Platret, even believing that “this may be the moment when the Republican right will separate from Nicolas Sarkozy”.