Taking note of the impossibility of achieving a union of the left, the boss of the small party Guillaume Lacroix announced that from now on each elected official will be free to support and sponsor the candidate, or not. What seal the race for 500 signatures of the former Minister of Justice.
Lately, the boss of the Radical Left Party (PRG), Guillaume Lacroix, has been a little tired of answering the same questions ten times. For several days, journalists from different newsrooms have been calling him constantly about the latest hitches in the campaign of Christiane Taubira (whom he supports). Especially since between the true-false negotiation in Romainville between ecologists and representatives of the former minister, the question of sponsorships which are struggling to enter and the rumor of potential blockages of signatures from the socialist ranks, the subjects of discussion are numerous. . So to no longer have to pick up his phone twenty times a day, the boss of the small center-left party decided to summon the press on Monday afternoon, just to “clarify things”. Especially since Lacroix has an announcement to make: the PRG is withdrawing from the campaign of the former Keeper of the Seals.
Chance of the calendar, Guillaume Lacroix therefore chose Valentine’s Day to record the break of his party with the candidate. So, as a gentleman, the elected official of Auvergne-Rhône Alpes puts on the forms. “There is no break, no rupture”, he explains. In an attempt to justify himself, the boss of the PRG repeats that what he announces is nothing new. “I have never varied my speech. From the executive committee of December 18, the mandate that the party granted me was to support a dynamic of rallying on the left”, and not of “specifically support” the candidacy of the former Minister of Justice, he develops. He adds : “Christiane Taubira is not PRG, she is a free woman, and the PRG did not choose Christiane Taubira to represent it.”
“There was never any pressure”
But faced with the impossible union of the left, in which the PRG still seemed to believe a little, the last executive committee of the party set a new line: everyone does what they please. “There is no tension within the party, but some elected officials believe that the line is not to commit to a specific candidacy. It is their right”summarizes Lacroix.
There will therefore be two camps at the PRG in the coming weeks: those who continue to engage with the former minister and those who will abstain. Because at the party leadership, we want to be clear: “The mindset is not for our various elected officials to support another candidate.” Understand, it’s Taubira or nothing. Guillaume Lacroix insists however, in particular concerning the precious sponsorships of which the winner of the Popular Primary is sorely lacking: “From now on, each elected official is free of his sponsorship, there is no pressure from the party and there never has been.” As far as he is concerned, the chosen one will sponsor Taubira well. “The paper is on my desk and it will leave tonight”, he said. And he continues, like an anticipated discard: “It has never been agreed that the candidacy of Christiane Taubira is based solely on the sponsorships of the PRG.” Above all, Lacroix opens the door for the first time to a potential abandonment of the Guyanese: “He is the only person capable of deciding whether or not to pursue his candidacy,” he breathes.
A logical reunion
A truth: the left always puts on a show. It is an art that she masters perfectly. Guillaume Lacroix looked happy with Christiane Taubira. He was on trips, always pulling his cigarette. A “natural alliance”, he said. The Guyanese wore the colors of her family in 2002, it was twenty years ago all round, and the reunion was logical despite “little disagreements“. The president of the Radical Left Party defended the candidacy of the minister who supported marriage for all, on all the airwaves and during lunches with the press. An ideal ally who tapped at will on the other candidacies on the left: the “dividers”. Guillaume Lacroix has hesitated for a long time in recent months. He was on the verge of joining Yannick Jadot’s campaign. He maintains ties of friendship with the national ecologist secretary, Julien Bayou. They talk to each other on the phone every day – long discussions about life and the legislative elections.
The PRG is looking for the best solution to win seats at the Palais-Bourbon. Each shop thinks about its little existence. A head of the team of Christiane Taubira does not hide his annoyance after the release of Lacroix: “It sucks and it’s small.” The term “not trustworthy” comes back like a gimmick. Maybe they’ll all meet at Jadot. The same head: “We will see for the next few days. We are going to talk to each other without stopping campaigning. We must also continue the hunt for signatures.” The day after the popular Primary, Christiane Taubira’s strategist, former socialist deputy Christian Paul, explained that his candidate had to win the “February Battle”. Understand: create a powerful momentum to force socialists and environmentalists to line up behind it. We are in mid-February and the former minister is losing her battle.