The Europeans, the election of all dangers for the Republicans

The next European elections? The Republicans (LR) do not think about it yet when moving. In January, the party will take its new Parisian districts a few meters from the National embly. Far from the ghost ship of 238, rue Vaugirard, in the 15e district of Paris – “this seat of defeats”, in the words of Eric Ciotti. The deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes did not yet chair LR in 2019, during the slap taken by his formation in the last European elections – the list led by François-Xavier Bellamy had then only obtained 8.48%. Since then, the bitter failure of Valérie Pécresse in the presidential election of 2022 having been there, the right is embarking on the preparation of the next European election, scheduled for June 2024, with concern. “All elections are at risk for us now”admits Mr. Ciotti.

One year from the deadline, the president of the right-wing party organizes a first working meeting, Tuesday June 27, in the presence of the staff of LR, but also of Mr. Bellamy and the MEP Michel Barnier, the two names mentioned to lead the campaign. “We are going to start thinking about the organization of the campaign, the themes, but it is not yet the time to designate a head of the list”, tempers Mr. Ciotti, who refers to “October or November” for this strategic choice. The alternatives to this Bellamy-Barnier duel seem non-existent. Surveyed, the mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, preferred to decline.

In the meantime, the official watchword at LR is to avoid dramatizing the issues of this election. “This is an important deadline, but we are not gambling our lives on this election, even if our opponents say the opposite”, advances Annie Genevard, the general secretary of the party. While the right is once again in danger of finding itself caught between the pro-European discourse of the Macronists and that of the anti-Europe of the far right, ambitions are meager. Internally, some executives say they are ready to “put out the champagne” if the party managed to repeat the result of 2018, and to secure a group of eight MEPs like today.

Zemmour wants to p in front of LR

Because the fear of a black scenario exists: that LR obtains less than 5% of the votes cast, which would prevent him from having the slightest seat. A low hypothesis, which worries the German Manfred Weber, President of the European People’s Party (EPP), the group where the French right sits. For months, François-Xavier Bellamy has been pointing out the scope of this deadline. “It is difficult to measure its importance for us”, insists the number two of the party. The one who is the favorite to be the head of the LR list is already rolling out the outline of a program. “Our line is simple, it is to defend France in Europe. In European work, everyone first promotes the interests of their country; we cannot be the only ones to prevent ourselves from making our voice heard, especially when it would be useful to Europe. »

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