After the rout of the presidential election, Les Républicains officially launched their campaign for the legislative elections, this Saturday, May 7 in Paris, during a National Council.
This meeting was held behind closed doors at the LR headquarters, rue de Vaugirard (15th) around several executives and tenors, in particular Annie Genevard, Xavier Bertrand or even the President of the Senate Gérard Larcher.
During this National Council, Christian Jacob, the president of the party, indicated that an agreement has been “closed with the partners of the UDI and the New Center.”
This formation will fight in 543 constituencies, or 94% of the territory under the LR-UDI-NC banner: “There will be 457 LR candidates, 59 UDI, 26 New Center and 1 Freedom and Territory”.
Christian Jacob also announced that each candidate under this banner will receive “a loan of 5,000 euros” and added that a “charter of clarity and independence of the Republicans was voted unanimously.”
Since the result of the presidential election, the President of the Republicans had constantly repeated that “there is no possible double membership”, and therefore that an alliance with La République en Marche was unthinkable.
However, several party members, such as Damien Abad or Constance Le Grip, have shown themselves to be rather open to discussions with the presidential majority.
deputy Robin Reda joins the presidential majority
Above all, when the convention was to begin, the defection of deputy LR Robin Reda and his investiture by Renaissance (ex-La République en Marche) in his 7th constituency of Essonne, was formalized.
In a tweet, this close friend of Valérie Pécresse, the first outgoing LR parliamentarian to join the majority since the presidential election, considered that “the situation in the country requires going beyond, political and human, to succeed in the difficult but necessary reforms”.
Asked about this investiture, Christian Jacob indicated that Robin Reda “had informed him” during the day. “For us, the rule is clear: there is no double membership. We are Republicans, we cannot be LR and presidential majority”, he hammered.
Defector point. @robinreda deputy LR and support of V Pecresse and invested by en Marche with a view to the next legislative elections. @CNEWS
— Elodie HUCHARD (@ElodieHuchard) May 7, 2022
Christian Jacob has therefore made it known that there will be an LR candidate facing Robin Reda, trying, at the same time, to minimize this departure: “We were told about fifty (LR deputies leaving for the presidential majority), after about thirty, about ten… there is indeed one. Maybe two, maybe three,” he quipped.
The fact remains that in recent weeks, the right has also been worried about recurring rumors lending to Nicolas Sarkozy, received again on Tuesday at the Elysée, the intention to negotiate with Emmanuel Macron the rallying of several elected officials.
Tensions between the former president and the unfortunate candidate in the presidential election, having collected only 4.7% of the vote, are also growing, Valérie Pécresse having refused the gift of Nicolas Sarkozy to reimburse his campaign.
Christian Jacob, who will not stand for a sixth term, claims the “local roots” of his party, confirmed in the last municipal and regional elections. “This is where we, the Republicans, make the difference,” he assured on the eve of this national council, criticizing “Parisianism” and “bureaucracy” of the majority candidates.