New headquarters for a new life? It was one of the projects mentioned by Éric Ciotti, the new president of the Les Républicains party, during his campaign and then after his election in December. To start off on a good footing, it would be a question of casting off. The moorings, in this case, are currently located at 238, rue de Vaugirard in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. According to our information, the management is considering a change of dairy for the beginning of 2024.
This former garage of ten floors and 5,500 square meters, the right had bought it and had settled there during the UMP period, in 2011. Politically (and economically), it was still a prosperous period: the President of the Republic ( Nicolas Sarkozy) was from the house, the affiliated deputies sat by the hundreds at the Palais-Bourbon. In 2019, he was chosen to sell it (46 million euros) in order to clear the many debts which threatened the right as his electoral fortune decreased. While remaining a tenant there.
“Do not make the mistake of the PS”
But here it is: with Ciotti, it’s over. The boss of LR did not hide more recently the little love he had for this vast cold building, depopulated over the years. Thus, the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes had recently opened the “construction site” concerning a future seat. The idea is to find smaller places, therefore less expensive, more functional and also closer to places of power.
“We don’t want to make the mistake of the PS (left to settle in Ivry-sur-Seine in 2018 after selling its historic headquarters in Solferino, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris). To exclude a party from places of power is to give the impression of marginalizing it”, explains an LR executive, adding that Vaugirard is “a cursed seat”. Because the right, installed there, has not since won a single national election, and shone more by its divisions (Copé-Fillon 2012) than by its electoral breakthroughs.
According to our information, the identification began in January and visits have already been made. Currently, two properties have caught the attention of LR: one very close to the National Assembly, the other halfway between the latter and the Senate. However, no decision has been taken and other visits will still take place in the coming days.