It was in a restaurant on the outskirts of Nice that the radicals welcomed their national president Laurent Henart (Mayor of Nancy) as the first round of the right-wing primary approached.
More than 150 guests were present, a sign of the management team’s significant inroads into the local fabric, which identifies with moderate reformism.
Deprived of a centrist candidate, they opted for Alain Juppé in defiance of the local UDI (of which they are a component), a staunch supporter of Nicolas Sarkozy.
Vae victis – the famous expression of the barbarians who defeated the Romans – will still be relevant on the evening of November 27 when the name of the candidate for the right (and after negotiations for seats in the legislative elections, from the center) for the presidential election is announced.
It was an opportunity for Hervé Cael, the departmental president, to fine-tune the organization of the voting process for members and friends, because, in politics, to matter, you need to show that you carry weight in terms of votes.
It was also an opportunity for Laurent Henart to present and illustrate the “Radical Manifesto 2017,” which will serve as the platform for the 2017 deadlines.
The document starts with an observation: the country is facing three major risks: the re-election of François Hollande if a candidate is not capable of attracting votes from the center electorate, the rise of populism driven by Marine Le Pen’s candidacy but also by that of a radical right, of which Nicolas Sarkozy is the personification, and the economic and social decline in a troubled international context without the capacity to bring about the profound transformation the country requires.
It is organized into four chapters with 130 proposals: radical humanism for the flourishing of the individual through autonomy and responsibility within a supportive community; republican revolution through effective participation of civil society and citizens in political life; human development through a sustainable and inclusive economy; a radiant France in a federal Europe to tackle demographic, economic, environmental, and military challenges.
The primary objective for addressing these issues is to win the primary with Alain Juppé’s candidacy. If that were the case, we could witness the recomposition of the local right and possibly a renewal of the political class.
