The elected representatives of the parties that make up the UDI have appointed a governing board that reflects the weight of each of its components. Under the coordination of Rudy Salles, 16 members (7 from Nouveau Centre, 7 from Parti Radical, and 2 from Gauche Moderne) will form this board and will lead activities in the department’s municipalities.
This is the first step in the formation and organization process of this new centrist party, and like all newborns, the UDI harbors great ambitions and even imagines, why not, to become, eventually, equivalent to the UMP.
The “captain of the Azur boat” Rudy Salles confirms it in an interview: “We have a desire for independence but also the aim to build a ‘winning coalition’ with the UMP.”
To continue: “To those who criticize our birth and the role we intend to play, I want to remind them that the UMP in its current configuration hasn’t won an election since 2004.”
The “clear line” of alliance with the right can be an asset for this political formation, with 28% of French people declaring themselves “neither left nor right.” There is therefore a potential electoral base of sympathizers and activists.
“The challenge for the UDI is no longer to be the footrest of the UMP but to be a true ‘pole,’ aiming to become thereby a necessary partner of the future majority,” says Rudy Salles again.
For now, the UDI remains a federation of parties, but merging into a unitary party seems to be the inevitable outcome.
A considerable advantage for the UDI is that its president, Jean-Louis Borloo, does not see 2017 as his ultimate goal, preferring to keep a close eye on Matignon. So there will be no direct competition with the future UMP candidate, but the alliance will not be discounted (What about the Boutin jurisprudence!).
The election of the future president of the UMP will have a significant impact on this strategy. The situation will be more favorable for the UDI if Jean-François Copé is elected due to his “right-wing” stance. In one way or another, it is evident that the UMP finds itself between a rock and a hard place. The more it recenters, the more space it leaves for Marine Le Pen. The more it aligns with the right, the more space it leaves for Jean-Louis Borloo.
And locally? Here, Rudy Salles leaves no doubt: “Our principle is that the best candidate must have the support of all center-right parties. We will choose the best candidates with our UMP friends, there is no doubt that in Nice we will be behind Christian Estrosi.”
Some negotiations are to be expected…
