And now count yourself.

In the aftermath of Eric Ciotti's election as leader of the Republicans, the list of local elected officials and leaders of federations who are leaving the party is growing hour by hour, all over the country.

Just hours after the announcement of the results, the boss of the LR federation of Haute-Garonne Laurence Arribagé announced that she was leaving LR for Horizons, the party of Edouard Philippe.

In the process, the mayor of Metz François Grosdidier announced on Twitter that he was leaving LR "not to [se] stunt, not to go elsewhere, but to stay [himself]".


The wave of defections reached the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence a few hours later.

In a joint statement, the mayor of Forcalquier and close to Renaud Muselier, David Géhant, that of Manosque, Camille Géhant, support of the unsuccessful candidate Aurélien Pradié, and Sophie Vaginay-Ricourt, mayor of Barcelonette, announced in turn their departure in a joint statement.

"If the choice of members is sovereign, it unfortunately does not correspond to the expectations of the French right-wingers who have despaired for nearly ten years of the return of a political force which is neither stifled by Macronist ideology, nor suppletive of extreme theses of the National Rally", they believe.

“I will not hold them back”

“On the right, we are, and on the right, we will remain, write the three mayors.

From a social right, liberal, open, pragmatic and subject to no ideological straitjacket.

It is in this state of mind that we leave the Republicans.

In the line of sight: the positions, sometimes divisive, of the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes.

“Ciotti carries an identity and conservative discourse which does not correspond to current issues, nor to my personal history, estimates on Twitter Ghania Benkedia, municipal councilor of the 13th and 14th arrondissements of Marseille, who also announced that she would leave the party.

How can I, who was born in Algeria, accept that the right of the land is called into question in favor of an anachronistic right of blood?

How I, a girl from the northern districts of Marseille,

could I accept to see the magnificent youth of working-class neighborhoods caricatured or even stigmatized?

»

The phenomenon does not seem to move the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes.

“Those who leave, it's a jolt.

I will not remember them, ”he retorts this Monday morning on RTL.

But what about those who remain?

With 53.7% of the votes, Eric Ciotti's victory was a short one, forcing him to deal with some of his members and local executives who did not support him… Or more.

Thus, after having been spokesperson for the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes in the race for the presidency of the Republic, the departmental secretary of the Bouches-du-Rhône federation, Stéphane Le Rudulier, finally supported his opponent Bruno Retailleau in the race for the party presidency.

"Losing mayors from our political family is not trivial," notes the senator.

We are the first political force when we look at local elected officials.

If there is erosion, that says a lot about the discomfort.

We can't afford that.

Several elected officials are waiting around me.

I think we will see more clearly in the next few days.

We are expecting very strong signs from Eric Ciotti towards unity and unity to avoid any implosion.

»

The fear of implosion

This fear of implosion seems real, in a right torn between the National Rally and Macronie, which has already succeeded in siphoning off some of the local executives.

Thus, in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, the president of the region Renaud Muselier, yesterday indisputable part of the right, has since rallied the President of the Republic, and his importance within the presidential party is set to grow.

And the links of yesteryear are not so distended… What encourages rallying?

“Those who already had concerns have been in a wait-and-see logic since the election of Eric Ciotti, understands the recently elected Renaissance MP for Bouches-du-Rhône Lionel Royer-Perreault, thirty years of LR and UMP on the clock.

But those who wait a few weeks to make a decision know deep down that it does not correspond to their values.

At some point, you shouldn't lie to yourself.

They will leave for some of them a little later, in a less publicized way.

And the political space that can accommodate them is that of the presidential majority.

It looks a lot like the old UDF.

“Anyway, all of this will quickly open up with the race for the presidential stables, predicts a former LR executive.

The mayors are not going to want to experience a Pécresse guillotine twice…”

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Policy

The Republicans: Eric Ciotti elected president with 53.7% of the vote

  • Eric Ciotti

  • The Republicans (LR)

  • Resignation

  • Right

  • Political party