Paris (AFP)

At seven months of the municipal, the "beam" is still working: the mayor of Angers, Christophe Béchu, Friday gathered about thirty of his counterparts to launch "The Republic of Mayors", new initiative pro-Macron center right in a political recomposition which never ends.

The meeting continues an initiative launched in June, when some 72 mayors and local elected officials on the right and center had issued a platform of support for President Emmanuel Macron, the day after the disastrous European elections for Republicans.

"We are structuring today in association", explains the mayor of Angers, for whom this return must allow "to propose things that everyone could put in place in his commune".

Among the thirty-eight elected officials, the mayors of Amiens, Tours, Orleans, Arras, Albi, or the 5th and 9th arrondissements of Paris. And if all the signatories of the spring can not make the trip, "twenty or so mayors have joined us since the publication of the platform," prides Mr. Bechu, led to take the chair of the structure.

Beyond this work of "workshops", it is the recomposition of the local political landscape in view of the municipal elections of March which is at stake.

Because The Republic of Mayors is dominated by relatives of Edward Philippe, also ex-LR, and theorist of "the beam that works", or the art of expanding its majority, especially in the center right.

The stowage is not without turbulence. For if these leavers have taken off their parties, they still count number of inset Republicans in their majorities municipal. And are faced with local resistance walkers, reluctant to see them stamped LREM for municipal.

"There will be no agreement with all of us, I understand that LREM does not invest the 72", anticipates the mayor of Tours Christophe Bouchet.

- "We'll see what works" -

The investitures refused by LREM to several outgoing mayors benevolent towards the executive - including Nicolas Florian in Bordeaux, very close to the Prime Minister, or David Robo in Vannes -, however, cringe, some criticizing Édouard Philippe for not to weigh with all its weight with the authorities of the Republic in march.

"We, in any case, we all already have in common to have already won an election," recalls Christophe Béchu. And, wants to believe Christophe Bouchet, "with the prohibition of the plurality of mandates, the force that will settle, it is the mayors".

The niche is already occupied: two years ago, Christian Estrosi had launched "The bold France" movement of right-wing elected officials for Emmanuel Macron. "We often find the same in both structures," admits the mayor of the ninth arrondissement of Paris Delphine Bürkli, who swear they are "complementary".

Until when? "We will see what works", explains Christophe Bouchet, when another member of the two structures recalls that the support of Christian Estrosi to the LR list of François-Xavier Bellamy scalded some members of the bold France, who then judged too marked on the right.

Another rally of centrist politicians sympathetic to the majority, the Radical Movement (MR) says for its part "open" to this multiplication of initiatives. The oldest party in France, whose summer schools are held this weekend in Bordeaux, has among its twenty mayors of large and medium-sized cities several members of these associations.

"Many of these elected parties had parties.With decomposition, they find themselves in nature," analyzes Laurent Hénart, the mayor of Nancy and president of the MR. "But after that, there will be a political recomposition," he predicts. "Even if, often, the recomposition is long cycles." And in any case after the municipal.

© 2019 AFP