Should you answer an unknown call? Some people pass on, for fear of a scam. Others take the risk, “just in case”. To her great regret, Frédérique Meunier belongs to the second category. A few days ago, MP LR picked up her phone. On the line, an angry Nadine Morano. The elected official from Corrèze committed a crime of lèse-majesté: in a group meeting, she questioned the presence of Sarkozyste and Brice Hortefeux on the LR list in the European elections, in the name of renewal.
The two women do not know each other. Not a problem for the former minister, who is easy to use on familiar terms. “I’m going to come to your constituency”, “Who knows you?” “What did you do?”… Frédérique Meunier lets the storm pass and explains herself. At least the SMS sent by Brice Hortefeux was more urban. Her colleague Nathalie Serre, author of similar comments, is entitled to the same canvassing. With, in addition, a phone call from MEP Geoffroy Didier, whom she had cited in her demonstration.
Media offensive or discretion
The ears hang around. Seduction and pressure intertwine. The battle to win eligible places rages among Les Républicains. The right will have to exceed 5% of the vote on June 9 to send MEPs to Brussels. Each point collected above this threshold is the promise of a new elected official. With polls fluctuating between 7% and 9%, places are expensive. No more privileges, you have to sell yourself to be one. Rediscover the virtues of humility. Only two places have been filled: François-Xavier Bellamy will lead the list, supported by farmer Céline Imart.
So, everyone has their own strategy. Some people lay their cards on the table. The vice-president of LR Julien Aubert sent a letter of candidacy to the members of the National Investiture Commission (CNI). The former member of Vaucluse defends his “experience of electoral combat […] facing the RN and Reconquest”, boasts of his “loyalty” to LR and his “sovereignist line”. The enarque even mentions in a missive his diplomas in “international economics” and “international issues”. History does not say so he has mastered Pack Office or the basics of the Spanish language. The president of Jeunes LR, Guilhem Carayon, is deploying a similar offensive. On the menu: saturation of TV sets and a mess of tweets about the European election. “He is agitated like a crazy by playing on his family ties”, mocks a competitor.
Other suitors cultivate discretion. MEP Geoffroy Didier is banking on his record in the European Parliament and his support for Eric Ciotti during the 2022 internal election to win. No need to do too much, when you are happy with your game. Brice Hortefeux also wants to get back on track, despite the request for renewal made by parliamentarians. He praised to Eric Ciotti his profile as a Sarkozyist, symbol of the heyday of the right: “There should not be Sarkozysts in the RN – like Mariani -, in the government, and not on the LR list. ” Guillaume Larrivé also avoids light. The former Yonne MP, close to Eric Ciotti, would not say no to a place on the list. But there’s no question of shouting it from the rooftops. “Either he is calm, or he knows that going into the arena would damage him,” notes a campaign executive.
Letters of recommendation
You have to arouse desire. Fear, sometimes. Why not play with the competition? Nadine Morano let herself be flirted with by the National Rally (RN) before closing the door to any departure. Several elected officials suspect her of having used ambiguity to protect her back. Hold me back or I’ll make trouble! “She is using us to raise the stakes,” Jordan Bardella told an LR MEP.
A serious candidate must have a letter of recommendation. Each right-wing tenor pushes his foals, to have better influence internally. The boss of LR senators, Bruno Retailleau, supports the candidacy of outgoing MEP Anne Sander, close to Xavier Bertrand, and Julien Aubert. The former elected official from Vaucluse is also supported by the leader of LR deputies, Olivier Marleix. “It wouldn’t be bad if he was on the list,” slips the deputy for Eure-et-Loir in private. Brice Hortefeux is close to the former president of LR Laurent Wauquiez. The latter would finally look favorably on the candidacy of Laurence Sailliet, who supports Emmanuel Macron in 2022. He praised with several interlocutors the loyalty of his former spokesperson and her notoriety as a former columnist of Cyril Hanouna.
A competition, not an exam
Being recommended is good. Getting rid of burdens is even better. An LR deputy laughs at the memory of a recent exchange with a suitor, who came to apologize for an altercation several years old. The past must be put to rest. Julien Aubert is working on it. The vice-president of LR recently defended himself to Eric Ciotti for having orchestrated attacks against him during the internal campaign for the presidency of the party. The imprudent supported his rival Bruno Retailleau. And since Eric Ciotti is the resentful type…
Recruitment is a competition, not an exam. They praise their qualities as much as they criticize their rivals. The right is ready to play, a few days before the announcement of the list. Brice Hortefeux and Nadine Morano? “We need to rejuvenate the images.” Geoffroy Didier? His competitors recall his conflict with François-Xavier Bellamy the day after the 2019 election. Guillaume Larrivé? “He wanted to join Macron at one time.” Carayon? “Too right.” Classic, in politics.
And what does the recruiter think? The general consensus is that Eric Ciotti will have the upper hand on the final choice. “He decides alone, the CNI will approve,” says an executive. The man lets nothing of his intentions shine through. He is currently surveying his colleagues. Among the last barons, should he rather keep Nadine Morano or Brice Hortefeux? “This exercise in internal competition is not pleasant for him,” adds a parliamentarian. “You have to know how to say no.” Say no, for zero electoral benefit. The composition of a list is indifferent to its final score, it only generates internal frustration.
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