While Laurent Wauquiez’s cultural policy in Auvergne Rhône-Alpes is criticized, the Republican was able to count on the support of Minister Rachida Dati, who is nevertheless poorly viewed within the party.
The Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region and its president, Laurent Wauquiez, are singled out for their cultural policy. The object of criticism is none other than the drastic drop in subsidies allocated to cultural organizations, some of which have seen their aid drop by a quarter, half, or even simply disappear. But the president of the Region, who aims to represent the right in the 2027 presidential election, was able to count on significant support to defend himself: that of Rachida Dati, the Minister of Culture.
Laurent Wauquiez is “strongly invested in culture” as “very responsible” regional president, assured the minister and elected Parisian at the beginning of February since the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival. A speech which may have upset the organizers of the event who were themselves concerned by the drop in subsidies. But in the entourage of the elected LR we deny wanting to cut in large cities such as Lyon, Grenoble or Clermont-Ferrand to finance cultural projects and access to culture in rural areas. “If we have reduced the money distributed to certain cultural places in Lyon, it is to help small structures elsewhere in the territory, because Lyon alone represents more than 40% of our cultural budget. So we had to rebalance “, explained the entourage of Laurent Wauquiez to Parisian. A policy which echoes the project of Rachida Dati who wants to develop the cultural offer in rural areas.
A joint trip by Dati and Wauquiez on culture
The intervention of the Minister of Culture at the Clermont festival was very appreciated by Laurent Wauquiez who sincerely thanked his former colleague from the Republicans. Several SMS messages were exchanged between the two right-wing figures, some of which proposed a joint trip around culture. The invitation from the Lyonnais was accepted by Rachida Dati, all that remains is to decide on a date.
This collaboration risks not going unnoticed and above all not pleasing the president of the Republicans, Eric Ciotti. The man is campaigning for Laurent Wauquiez, his partner, to establish himself as the sole candidate of the right in 2027, but judges Rachida Dati responsible for a “betrayal” since his appointment to the government. He also excluded her from the party. A decision which does not prevent the president of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region from tending his friendly relations with the elected official from Paris. The Republican has never even hidden his desire to count on Rachida Dati during his possible future campaign and confides to those close to him, according to the indiscretions of the Parisian : “We will need Rachida in the future”.