“Hold on, a little more… Everyone has to get in the frame. Smile, one, two, three!” It’s in the box. The joke sounded good. In the photo, Marion Maréchal, Eric Zemmour, Sarah Knafo, Guillaume Peltier and the whole small troop of Reconquest (Eric Zemmour’s party) are hilarious. At the end of summer, the Marseille senator Stéphane Ravier celebrates his marriage. The zemmourists are gathered for the occasion. A private pre-entry before the launch of the far-right party’s summer universities, which will be held from September 7 and 10 in Gréoux-les-Bains (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). The complexions are tanned and the faces radiant in this snapshot of a political family, as everyone seems happy to be together. Might as well make a good impression.
Because the prospect of the European elections of 2024 takes on, for the small clan, the air of a last chance. After the failure of the party in the legislative elections of June 2022, its members tasted the difficulty of existing, without elected representatives or campaign, during a year without an election. Assessment of the last twelve months: a hint of initiatives, a pinch of projection and a lot of disappointment. Useful reminder of the distribution of roles: it was agreed that Eric Zemmour would oversee, from afar, the life of his party as president. We know how much device business bores those who prefer to talk about the “great replacement”. It is therefore up to its three vice-presidents, Guillaume Peltier, Nicolas Bay and Marion Maréchal, to manage day-to-day business. Few triumvirates have had a happy ending.
It’s already starting to waver. On the side of Marion Maréchal, to begin with. Marine Le Pen’s niece should lead the Reconquest list in the European elections. Focused on the question of training, she launched, on June 23, in complete confidentiality, her “executive school”: the 2050 Institute. “It’s incredible, she has done nothing all year and decides to launch his school just before the holidays, when absolutely everyone doesn’t care”, mocks a manager. Especially since the former deputy of Vaucluse is not unanimous. A few weeks ago, following a strategic disagreement with a member of the communications team, she warned: “No one is irreplaceable.” Response from the other side: “Receiving lessons from a totally demonetized person, who works two to three times less, very little for me.” Within this close-knit team, some cringe at the idea of seeing the former frontist take the lead in the upcoming election.
“Guillaume Peltier came knocking on our door and offered to destroy Reconquête from the inside”
“Zemmour marks us too much with the imprint of defeat”
The possible granting of second place to Guillaume Peltier also makes some people smile. “He is extremely strong in the art of doing nothing while looking very busy, when we haven’t seen him all year, and very strong also in placing himself with Eric Zemmour”, comments a companion. In fact, entrenched in his ponds of Sologne, the departmental councilor of Loir-et-Cher, in charge of the elections, found himself quite idle this year. All the same, he has to his credit the organization of a training seminar for party officials, as well as a big “violet party”, of which several executives ironically underline the “extreme usefulness”. On the RN side, we watch from afar, all smiles, these picrocholine wars, having fun blowing on the embers. Last rumor reported by several MEPs: “Guillaume Peltier came knocking on our door and offered to destroy Reconquest from the inside if we gave him a place on our list.” The interested party denies.
The group lives well. And concentrates on the places to take. The case of Sarah Knafo often comes up on the carpet. At the wedding of Stéphane Ravier, many encouraged the companion of Eric Zemmour to launch and take 3rd place. In front of Nicolas Bay, therefore, who spent his year structuring the party federations. And a question has been bothering some for a while: “How to get rid of Eric Zemmour?” Some believe that it would have become a weight for the small formation. “He marks us too much with the imprint of defeat, it would be preferable that he fades away in favor of other figures”, advances an interested party. What occupy the party until the launch of the campaign. But it doesn’t matter if we fight in the photo booth, as long as we smile in the photo.