The Republican alliance crisis (French: Crise de 2024 au parti Les Républicains) was triggered by the formation of the Union of the Rights for the Republic, an alliance between Éric Ciotti, the president of The Republicans (LR), and the National Rally (RN) ahead of the 2024 French legislative election. LR MPs and senators questioned claims the alliance was revolutionary. The senior members unanimously removed its president for unsanctioned negotiations and disrespect for party statutes, which was unprecedented in France. This broke the traditional cordon sanitaire led by Chirac, against the National Rally.
Two opposing groups of Republican candidates were nominated. Its national investiture commission (CNI) nominated 400, including all outgoing MPs except Ciotti and Christelle d'Intorni. Ciotti nominated around 60, labeled by the French Ministry of the Interior the Union of the Far-Right, half not LR members, and petitioned RN candidates in other constituencies. Before parliament was dissolved, media businessman Vincent Bolloré prepared and promoted the alliance.
Background
Ciotti and the 2022 presidential election
Éric Ciotti, an unsuccessful candidate in The Republicans' primary before the 2022 presidential election, was accused of not supporting primary winner Valérie Pécresse, preferring an right-wing candidate Éric Zemmour, a candidate in the presidential election for Reconquête, supported by billionaire businessman Vincent Bolloré.
On 26 July 2022, Ciotti announced his candidacy for the Republican leadership election in December 2022. He obtained 42.73% of the vote, ahead of Bruno Retailleau and Aurélien Pradié, and gained the support of 140 elected officials including Laurent Wauquiez and Nadine Morano.
Schism in the midst of the 2023 pension reform
After the presentation of the pension reform law, Pradié was demoted. In its 18 February 2023 discussion, Ciotti dismissed him, judging his positions against party values, worrying that his party alienated popular voter blocs. Seven LR managers wrote to Ciotti criticizing this dismissal and asking for a meeting before any further meetings at headquarters.
Because the bill was via article 49.3 of the constitution, a third of Republican MPs disobeyed Ciotti and Retailleau by voting for a bipartisan no confidence motion on 20 March.
2024 European elections
In the 2024 European Parliament election in France, the decline of the LR vote was reflected by François-Xavier Bellamy obtaining 7.2%, after Valérie Pécresse only obtained 4.78% in the 2022 presidential election. The repeated underperformance questioned the party's future.
Development
Preparation and announcement of the alliance project
On 11 June 2024, two days after the dissolution of the National Assembly and within a week of the candidate deadline, Ciotti announced that the Republicans would ally with the National Rally (RN). This was prepared with Bolloré without the party's political office.
Presidential advisor Bruno Roger-Petit informed CNews anchor Pascal Praud three hours before the dissolution and two hours before prime minister Gabriel Attal.
This group would stand against the New Popular Front and the Ensemble coalition. The proposals were welcomed by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella from the National Rally, and also Guilhem Carayon, president of the young republican organisation Les Jeunes Républicains. President Emmanuel Macron criticized the project.
Battle for LR's social media accounts
Citing "threats received and disorder" after his dismissal, Ciotti ejected employees and locked himself in the headquarters. He continuously accessed the Republicans' Facebook profile. He filmed himself alone in his office to broadcast his disagreement. However, the official party X (formerly Twitter) account's password had changed.
Resignation requests and response
Senate president Gérard Larcher and the Republicans group president Olivier Marleix demanded Ciotti's resignation. CNews journalist Gauthier Le Bret asserted Larcher negotiated with the presidential majority, which he immediately denied. On CNews, Pascal Praud castigated the anti-Ciotti Republican officials. Reconquête also rallied to Bardella. Thus, Sarah Knafo, Sébastien Chenu and Ciotti appeared on Touche pas à mon poste ! by Cyril Hanouna to phone Bardella before 2 million viewers. A "save soldier Ciotti" campaign was publicized by the Bollorés similarly to Alfred Hugenberg, the giant of steel and media in Germany in the 1930s, according to economist Esther Duflo.
Expulsions
The political bureau met elsewhere, after finding the headquarters locked and unanimously agreed Ciotti was a traitor to expel. Annie Genevard oversaw the interim presidency with European election lead candidate François-Xavier Bellamy and treasurer Daniel Fasquelle. Ciotti was demoted on 12 June and removed on 14 June.
Court pushback
The president and the political office's conflict involved legal aspects. Party statutes specify the office as 50 members of Parliament, 20 non-parliamentary elected officials, 10 representatives of the federations, the party president, the deputy vice-president, the former presidents, the general secretary and the treasurer. It also included the president, deputy vice-president, general secretary and treasurer of the Les Jeunes Républicains, as well as the former prime ministers, presidents of the Republic and president of parliamentary bodies members.
The two expulsions were summarily litigated and suspended because the lower court must be seized within eight days by the most diligent party or the suspension will lapse.
Candidates in the legislative elections
Candidates supported by Ciotti
Bardella and Ciotti announced support for some unnamed MPs two days after the 2024 European Parliament election. Two days later, the press revealed no outgoing MPs except Ciotti and d'Intorni were supported. Ciotti then cited MEP-elects Christophe Gomart and Céline Imart, but Imart disassociated herself.
Ciotti nominated 63 for the legislative elections, only half from The Republicans. The press partially named them on 17 June, the day after the registration deadline. Among them were former Zemmour supporters, Marion Maréchal's friends, CNews columnists, a Trump spokesperson, a former Macronist MP, and parachute candidates from Paris. Only 17.5% are women, fineable against Gender quotas.
On 19 June, the alliance withdrew two for bigotry. Jean-Pierre Templier, deputy of Anthony Zeller in Loiret, was criticized by MP Richard Ramos (Modem) for antisemitism. The other was Louis-Joseph Pecher in Meurthe-et-Moselle. A third, National Rally candidate Joseph Martin in Morbihan, who tweeted "Gas brought justice to the victims of the Holocaust", was suspended until saying he meant Holocaust denier Robert Faurisson.
Candidates dubbed by the National Republican Nomination Commission
The CNI nominated 400, down from 457 in 2022. Mayor Philippe Dallier blamed deadlines, Éric Ciotti and legal questions. Only the CNI could reveal the list, hours before the registration deadline late 16 June. In Haute-Garonne, only two of seven people proposed went; others feared Ciotti's litigation. Among the 400 are 59 of 61 outgoing deputies and two against Ciotti and d'Intorni's alliance with the National Rally. It was too late to ally with the Union of Democrats and Independents in swing constituencies, unlike in 2022 in the Union of the Right and Centre.
17th Legislature
Ciotti resigned from the party on 22 September, instead leading the Union of the Right for the Republic.
Analysis
Most LR consider the alliance traitorous but Ciotti considers it revolutionary among Gaullists. A political office unprecedentedly and dramatically excluded its own president. The isolation of the RN and its Republicans allies may threaten French politics. Ciotti claimed interference and bias in the Ministry of the Interior classifying his 63 as the "Union of the Far-Right".
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