LR boss Eric Ciotti gave a boost to the European campaign on Monday by launching the outgoing and conservative François-Xavier Bellamy as head of the list, to try to demonstrate that the party is “staying the course” despite the recent poaching by Rachida Dati.
“He is a remarkable European elected official who has given influence to our group and to France,” said the Alpes-Maritimes MP on TF1, who thus formalized the candidacy of the MEP whose name had been circulating for several years. month.
In an interview posted online on the Figaro website, François-Xavier Bellamy reacted by expressing his “gratitude” to the boss of LR and committing to “give everything” during a vote which “engages a lot of people future of our political family, but also of democratic life in France”.
“For all right-wing voters, this is the time to come together to assert their convictions,” he added, refusing that political life be “reduced” to a choice between Emmanuel Macron and the RN.
“Politics is not the Star Academy”
François-Xavier Bellamy promises to campaign in particular on immigration, where “the essential remains to be done to guarantee “the protection of borders”, as well as on the “reconstruction of economic sovereignty”.
Despite the entry into the running in September of Jordan Bardella for the National Rally (RN) and Marion Maréchal for Reconquête, Eric Ciotti waited until the start of the year to designate his head of the list, but without revealing for ‘instantly the names of his running mates.
The appointment of François-Xavier Bellamy comes a few days after the poaching of the Sarkozyist Rachida Dati who joined Gabriel Attal’s government last week as Minister of Culture, and whose departure shook LR.
“For me, politics is not the Star Academy, it’s not we go in, we go out”, reacted Eric Ciotti who however affirmed that the LR deputies would vote “neither confidence nor censure at this stage” at towards the new head of government.
The future of LR at stake
Aged 38, four more than the head of government and ten more than Jordan Bardella, François-Xavier Bellamy will have to find a space between macronism, which repeatedly draws from its ranks to recruit ministers, and the extreme right which calls on “desperate” LR voters to join its ranks. “The RN projects itself into its dreams of national victory,” replied François-Xavier Bellamy, who tackles his competitor by advising him “to truly exercise his mandate as a European deputy”.
In 2019, François-Xavier Bellamy had already taken the head of the LR list, obtaining only 8.5% of the votes, barely more than the less than 5% of the right-wing candidate Valérie Pécresse in the presidential election of 2022. A real trauma for the right which fears that a new debacle during the European elections on June 9 will definitively take away LR.
The Republicans cannot afford to stay below 5%, especially as this result would deprive them of representation in the European Parliament and could weaken the EPP group, currently the largest with 176 deputies out of 705.
8.5% of voting intentions in the European elections for the party
In an Elabe poll published Sunday by La Tribune and BFMTV, the LR list remains stable compared to 5 years ago at 8.5%, far behind Jordan Bardella who is in the lead with 28.5% of voting intentions , ahead of the presidential majority (18%).
A young philosopher, François-Xavier Bellamy notably distinguished himself in the European Parliament by attacking German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last May during a debate where he accused him of “endangering Europe”.
“This confrontation with Mr. Scholz is his best calling card,” comments an LR advisor who nevertheless regrets that no figure from the party has dared to launch himself as head of the list, citing as an example Eric Ciotti or the potential candidate for the ‘Elysée in 2027 Laurent Wauquiez.
Close to François-Xavier Bellamy, the president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) David Lisnard, who also has Elysian ambitions, took the lead on Sunday evening by calling for his designation as head of the list.