Crises followed one another on Wednesday June 12 in the right-wing parties, shaken by the announcement of early legislative elections. Eric Ciotti was ousted from the Les Républicains (LR) party, of which he was president, after his alliance with the National Rally, while at Reconquête the break was complete between party founder Eric Zemmour and Marion Maréchal.
Information to remember
⇒ Eric Ciotti rejects his exclusion from LR
⇒ Eric Zemmour announces to exclude Maréchal from Reconquest
⇒ Mélenchon feels “capable” of becoming Prime Minister but says he will have to “wait”
Eric Ciotti clings to his seat as president
On Wednesday June 12, Eric Ciotti was ousted from the Les Républicains (LR) party, of which he was president, after his alliance with the National Rally. General Secretary Annie Genevard denounced her position “in total break with the statutes and the line supported by Les Républicains” who, for decades, have resisted the temptation of an alliance with the extreme right. “The Republicans will present candidates to the French with clarity and independence” for the legislative elections, assured Annie Genevard, who will share the governance of the movement with François-Xavier Bellamy, the head of the European list.
But against all odds, the boss continues to cling to his seat. “I am and remain the president of our political party, elected by the members,” replied Eric Ciotti, judging this decision “illegal” and raising the threat of “criminal consequences”. “I know that I have the confidence of the activists,” he later assured CNews, describing the LR political office as a “cenacle of feathered hats”. He added that 80 candidates supporting his approach would run in the legislative elections.
Legislative: Zemmour announces to exclude Marshal from Reconquest
New earthquake on the right: Eric Zemmour announced on Wednesday the exclusion of Reconquête of its head of list in the European elections, Marion Maréchal, denouncing a “betrayal” of the MEP who had just called to vote for the candidates supported by the Rally national in the early legislative elections. “She has reached the end of the road, that is to say, she excludes herself from this party that she has always despised,” said the 2022 presidential candidate on BFMTV, accusing her ex-ally of “lying” and being “surrounded by professionals of treason”.
During a press briefing held a little earlier, Marion Maréchal was very offensive towards the president of her party, denouncing the “triple fault” of Eric Zemmour whom she accuses of wanting to present Reconquest candidates against the RN. “Presenting Reconquest candidates in legislative constituencies means taking the infinite risk of winning Macronist or far-left deputies,” she said, refusing to “participate in yet another division of the rights” and taking note of the fracture with Eric Zemmour.
Mélenchon feels “capable” of becoming Prime Minister but says he will have to “wait”
The leader of La France insoumise Jean-Luc Mélenchon said Wednesday evening that he felt “capable” of being Prime Minister of a left-wing government in the event of victory of the new “Popular Front” in the early legislative elections, but called for ” wait for the election results. “I know what my contribution is to the life of the left. I say the following: we are going to stick to the formula proposed by Olivier Faure, it is the most important parliamentary group which proposes a Prime Minister”, declared the three-time presidential candidate on France 2.
“I am not eliminating myself but I am not imposing myself,” also clarified the founder of La France insoumise, who, with his 22% in the presidential election, had applied for the post of Prime Minister in 2022 at the time of the legislative elections, pushed by the Nupes alliance.
Ruffin believes he has “a huge slope to climb”
The outgoing deputy François Ruffin (LFI), cited among the possible headliners of a “Popular Front” currently being created, stressed Wednesday in Amiens that he first had to campaign because “there is a enormous slope to climb” facing the National Rally. “On the starting line”, the RN candidate “is the hare and I am the tortoise, I must make up for this enormous delay”, he underlined in Amiens where the RN came first in the European elections on Sunday with 24.80% of the votes, followed by La France Insoumise (18.60%) then the Macronist list (15.54%).
For the legislative elections on June 30, it is necessary “with my activists, we go on the campaign to turn hearts door after door”, he added. François Ruffin estimated that a “united left” was needed to “face the union of racists and the wealthy opposite”, on the sidelines of the launch of his campaign for the first constituency of the Somme, which includes part of ‘Amiens and Abbeville.
Legislative elections: Attal’s first campaign trip to Pas-de-Calais
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal will make his first campaign trip for the legislative elections on Thursday to Boulogne-sur-Mer, in Pas-de-Calais, electoral stronghold of the National Rally, Matignon announced Wednesday evening. After a stint on France Inter radio, he will go “on the ground, in contact with the French” in support of Jean-Pierre Pont, majority candidate in the 5th constituency of Pas-de-Calais for the June 30 election and July 7. He will end his day on the Quotidien show on the TMC channel.
The outgoing Renaissance deputy Jean-Pierre Pont narrowly won the 2022 legislative elections, with 51.03% of the votes, ahead of the National Rally candidate Antoine Golliot (48.97%). In the first round, the RN candidate arrived with nearly 27% of the votes ahead of that of the majority (almost 25%), and a left divided between two candidates who had each collected around 18% of the votes.