The deputy Aurélien Taché, one of the historic walkers, announced Sunday in the JDD to leave La République en Marche, deploring in particular that the "opening" of the party was "made only to the right". The boss of LREM, Stanislas Guerini, estimated Sunday that "he had yielded to his biggest defect: individualism". "I think he does it at the worst possible time, that is to say precisely at the moment when collectively we are thinking about the conditions of the future, the way in which we are going to lead the country".
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From 314 to 295 LREM deputies
"I believe in the collective, it's more demanding," added Stanislas Guerini, calling for "enlarging" the majority "in order to restore harmony in the country". The departure of Aurélien Taché brings the workforce of the LREM group to the Assembly to 295 deputies, against 314 in June 2017. He also intervenes while a new parliamentary group in the National Assembly, mainly composed of former of LREM, could be created in the coming days. The resigning deputy did not confirm that he wanted to join this budding initiative.
"The question of a [new] group in the National Assembly is secondary to the issues," said Stanislas Guerini, blasting "a political setback". "Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and work together, to think, including having disagreements, but it is our responsibility to make it united."
Maintaining confidence in Laëtitia Avia
About the deputy LREM Laëtitia Avia, challenged by Mediapart for reported comments deemed sexist, homophobic and racist, the boss of the presidential party argued that "justice does not [go] in the media". "Laëtitia Avia told me of her decision to file a complaint for what she considers defamatory, justice must be done and it is not through the intermediary media that we must rule on such and such a case" , he said, assuring that he always trusted him "with all his confidence".