As their holidays approach, the French deputies take stock of these first weeks of the legislature in an unprecedented context since the executive only has a relative majority in the Assembly. Right-wing elected officials have allowed the adoption of several texts carried by the government, in particular on purchasing power. A pragmatism to advance the country “, they justify, but which exposes them to weakening if they are perceived as auxiliaries of Macronie.
“ We have proven to the French that we are responsible », « we avoided the blockage of the country and that, our electorate will be grateful to us “, Reassure the deputies of the party Les Républicains (LR). And here they are, listing the measures defended by the right that the presidential majority was kind enough to integrate into its laws : repurchase of the days of Reduction of working time (RTT), increase in the ceiling for tax-exempt overtime, liter of gasoline at 1€50, deconjugalization of the allowance for disabled adults… Certainly victories, hailed by their sympathizers on the ground, they assure. But by dint of voting hand in hand with the camp of President Emmanuel Macron, what still distinguishes LR?
Fear of disappearing
” Be careful not to be the lump of sugar that melts in the cup of coffee “Warns an LR deputy from the south-east. Another elected official, who had supported the idea of working with the head of state from the start, rubs his hands: “ When I look at the table of votes, I say to myself that the coalition is in the process of being established, in fact “.
For this parliamentarian, this is also the only way for the right of government to regain power. ” We are not hegemonic alone “, he argues, convinced that the end of the second term of Emmanuel Macron – who cannot stand for re-election in accordance with the Constitution – will lead to a “ tripolarization of French political life “. In other words: either LR merges into this great central movement, “ either the same thing will happen to us as to the socialists “, assures the chosen one. The socialist party made less than 2% in the presidential election of 2022.
The specter of the split
But not everyone shares this analysis among the Republicans. Will LR deputies still vote in concert with the presidential majority in the fall, when it comes to deciding on the 2023 budget? ” I don’t believe in it, it would be too strong a political endorsement “replied another MP. “ This summer, we were on emergency texts related to the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the exit from Covid, these are two different sequences “, he says.
In the midst of the campaign for the presidency of the party whose election is scheduled for early December, the different camps within LR risk becoming radicalized in the fall. To the point of reactivating the specter of the fracture. “ Only those who don’t want to see the train full of dynamite say there’s no risk of a split “, warns a parliamentarian.