On Saturday, in Blois, the French Democratic Movement reappointed its leader François Bayrou as leader. Then the head of the list for the European elections of Renaissance, Emmanuel Macron’s party, was invited to the congress of the president’s MoDem allies, this Sunday March 24. The day before, the Prime Minister had made the trip, and this day, the President of the National Assembly and the head of French diplomacy were present. Ms Braun-Pivet pleaded in favor of proportional representation.
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With our special correspondent in Blois, Raphaël Delvolve
In Loir-et-Cher, Saturday, the speech of Gabriel Attal at the MoDem congress was closely scrutinized, because François Bayroure-elected as leader of his party, had resoundingly refused to join his team several months ago.
The head of government, anxious to close ranks before the European elections in June, worked to cajole the “orange” party, historic ally ofEmmanuel Macron. “ For the Prime Minister that I am, he said, finding the MoDem, its activists, its elected officials, does not mean intervening on the outskirts of the majority, it means plunging into the heart of the presidential majority. You are the heart of the presidential majority. »
This presidential majority has a direction, it has values and it has a guideline. And this course, these values, this guideline, owe a lot to the constant and historic commitment of the MoDem. Our guideline is indeed that of political overcoming, of the ability to exchange with political figures from civil society. Not necessarily in agreement on everything, but in any case in agreement on the need to act in the service of the country and the general interest.
The danger of an RN victory
After this comforting speech, it was the head of the Renaissance list, the presidential party precisely, which invited itself to the congress of the partner MoDem. Left behind in the polls by the National Rally, Valérie Hayer believes that the elections of June 9 will be the most “ important in history “.
In her speech, she warned of the danger of a populist victory, all without ever naming the RN, Jordan Bardella or even Marine Le Pen. “ I will be very clear, this would be the best way to trigger the fall of our continent, believes Ms. Hayer. This would be the best way to convince Putin to continue his aggression and his enterprise of destruction. Europe must be strong, never ceding anything to its paper patriots. The friendly populist will continue wherever it can, wherever we let it carry out its liberticidal enterprise. »
Do we want a Europe where areas prohibited for LGBTI people are increasing? Do we want a Europe with Viktor Orban, where women are forced to listen to the heart of their fetus? Do we want a Europe with Elon Musk, where social networks become outlets for hatred? No, that’s not our project! This will never be our project! Our project is a Europe of freedoms which integrates the right to abortion into the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. Our project is a Europe that protects and inspires. It is our social project which also takes place on June 9.
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The return of proportional
And finally, back to the surface for Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 promise to introduce a dose of proportional representation in the legislative elections, with Yaël Braun-Pivet. Before the MoDem, where proportional representation has been defended for a long time, the President of the National Assembly, who proposes the election of 26% of deputies with this voting method, was in front of the right audience.
Electing a quarter of the 577 deputies by proportional representation, a guarantee of representativeness for the French, says the president of a chamber elected by majority vote, but where the extremes, formerly blocked, are now in number. “ We have permanently entered a new era, considers Ms. Braun-Pivet, in which the majority fact will become the exception, and no longer the rule. I am certain that this fair representation is one of the best ways to bring our compatriots back to the polls. »
The leader of the MoDem, François Bayrou, says “yes”, but for the entire chamber, precisely because of the extremist danger. “ It is an impossible-to-destroy safeguard against extremes. If you have a threat from one extreme or the other, then others have a duty to come together to block it. », analyzes Mr. Bayrou.
In the audience in Blois, Stéphane Séjourné, the head of the presidential Renaissance party, also Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, does not comment. The majority deputies will raise the question of proportional representation next Tuesday. Their group leader, Sylvain Maillard, is opposed to it. For him, this forces elected officials to stay in the party for a place on the list, rather than on the ground.
To rereadEmmanuel Macron in Marseille, a publicity stunt for the head of state?