How to exist outside the Palais Bourbon? The question has tormented Bertrand Pancher for almost six years. The president of the parliamentary group Liot was already thinking about it during the previous legislature, when he co-directed, with Philippe Vigier (who has since become Minister of Overseas), “Liberties and Territories”. Transform the charter of values into a common program. Participate in elections under the same banner. Be, ultimately, more than the aggregation of a handful of independent elected officials. Yes, Bertrand Pancher has been a “dream” for a while.
But the image sticks to him. He would preside over an ideologically heterogeneous group, which over time had become a pivotal force in the Hemicycle. Nothing more. Emmanuel Macron’s initiative surely reminded him of this recently. On August 30, he was not invited to the “Saint-Denis Meetings”, during which the president held discussions behind closed doors with party leaders. The man is still injured. “You did it like crazy!”, he said Tuesday evening to Elisabeth Borne. He thinks that the Executive wanted to make him pay for his strong opposition during the tumultuous retirement episode. The head of government tells him that he is president of the group. Not at the head of a political party.
“Explain to me what their political line is!”
The elected official, who worked with the UMP (the former LR) and the Radical Party, is nevertheless preparing for the big leap. The European elections next June. “Useful” (for Ultra-marines, Territories, Independents, Freedom, Ecology and Solidarity) – Liot’s partisan emanation launched last March – will present its candidacy at the beginning of October, L’Express has learned. For several months, Bertrand Pancher has been working hard and not without difficulty to get the deputies from his group to join this new formation. Of the 21 elected officials, only around ten accepted the offer. “He harassed all the members of the group so that they would join his party,” laughs a member of the parliamentary group who did not take part in the adventure.
Participate in the Europeans, so be it. But in what niche? Understanding the positioning of this heterogeneous group, which calls for elected officials from “diverse political backgrounds”, is not easy. Because for the moment, it is above all through the image of scratchy deputies of the Macronie that Liot has come to light, particularly during the tumultuous episode of pension reform. “Utiles” presents itself as “pro-European”, “humanist” and “attached to the territories and overseas territories”. “The pro-Europeans who are not in phase with the government’s policy”, finally summarizes Benjamin Saint-Huile, deputy for Liot du Nord and spokesperson for the future party, who wants to rake in “the arc of moderate republicans”, from center-right to center-left. Even within the group, there is a bit of irony about the triptych. “Explain to me what Utiles’ political line is! No group claims to be anti-humanist, totally disconnected and Europhobic…”
Olivier Serva tipped as head of the list
Time is counted. While several teams have already chosen their head of list, notably on the far right – Jordan Bardella for the National Rally and Marion Maréchal for Reconquête! – to “Useful”, everything still remains to be done. Starting with the definition of a program and the presentation of a flagship measure. Bertrand Pancher’s party would love to see France send a local elected official to the European Commission. Will come after the time for negotiations with other parties. For the moment, only discussions are known with the small regionalist group Regions and Solidarity Peoples (RPS)… from which four deputies from the Liot group come. Finally, it will be necessary to constitute a list of 81 candidates, and why not bring together strong figures. To date, it is still difficult to find them.
The question of the head of the list will of course arise. In this type of single-constituency election that looks like a mini-presidential, the choice is fundamental. If it was previously a question of proposing it to the double candidate for the Élysée Jean Lassalle (1.21% then 3.13% of the votes), since targeted by a preliminary investigation for rape and sexual assault, it is another name which is circulating today. That of Olivier Serva, a Guadeloupean ex-LREM deputy who has since moved to Liot, relatively unknown but noticed during the debate on unvaccinated caregivers for having launched a fiery “You’re going to shut up” to his former colleague walker Sylvain Maillard. The person concerned has given his agreement in principle. The formation promises that the base will choose its candidate anyway.
In the European Parliament, we view the initiative with circumspection and on both the right and the left, we point out the illegibility of the project. In the National Assembly, Renaissance elected officials are also skeptical about how “Utiles” could find a space. Within Liot, finally, we denounce the president’s deviations from his own convictions. “Bertrand Pancher is a former UMP, advised by a former ecologist [Christophe Rossignol, ancien d’EELV NDLR] which welcomes socialists in Liot”, breathes a parliamentarian, for whom this candidacy is a strategy of the Meuse deputy to continue to weigh in the public debate. “His only party is himself”, continues the same.
At “Utiles” we still dream of printing, and of carrying out a political coup. But a few weeks ago, a survey was commissioned by the training. She gave the list at 3%. Two points below the threshold necessary to obtain seats.