After the rumors, the prefaces, and the procrastination… we are here: Renaud Muselier and the Macronists will form a joint list for the regional elections.
The leader designated by LREM in the region, Sophie Cluzel, as well as “representatives of the parliamentary majority will join the arrangement led by Renaud Muselier,” announced Prime Minister Jean Castex, head of the presidential majority.
Behind this announcement, one can already speculate whether this “presidential”-tinged list might be a precursor to a future election in 2022.
The news of this formula (or combination for its RN-designated opponent, who for some time now has condemned this alliance of “Republicans on the Move”) caused political balances to explode within the Azurean local governments, mostly in the hands of LR elected officials.
The person concerned, Renaud Muselier, chose a low profile by reiterating his slogan “the path of unity against extremes is that of reason and common sense.” And specified: “I say it clearly: without device agreements, without alliance or merger, in full freedom, I am a candidate on the line of honor, of fidelity to my fights for my country, for my region. It is she who will always come first!”
Christian Estrosi, who is certainly not a stranger to this agreement, has obviously given his full support to “my friend Renaud”: “I support him strongly because I want our region to continue to carry values of tolerance and responsibility and because unlike those who only think about the presidential or legislative deadlines, we only aim to advance the Alps, Provence, and the Cรดte d’Azur.”
The same discourse, “full and complete support” from Hubert Falco: “Bringing together women and men against extremism has always been my guiding principle.” On the other hand, the announcement does not sit well with some of the Les Rรฉpublicains elected officials. “A stab in the back,” according to Eric Ciotti, leader of the “orthodox,” member of parliament for the Alpes-Maritimes, but also president of the national nomination commission of the Republicans.
On the same line, the mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, mentions “political arrangements that reduce the debate to a deadly LREM/RN duel-duo.” During the day, the LR president Christian Jacob advocated for withdrawing his party’s nomination from Renaud Muselier, denouncing a purely political maneuver. “The fear of losing among some, added to the cynicism of others, has never established a political line,” writes the leader of the Republicans.
The die is now cast, and the question posed now is simple: will there be another LR list in PACA? And if so, who will lead it?
It remains the case that the unity, which for a long time was merely superficial, of the Republicans has truly shattered. The party, at least in the region, is divided into two: an “orthodox” part looking toward the RN electorate trying to attract it with an equivalent political offer. Then, the “reformers” who want to modulate their action through proximity and reforms in the name of pragmatism.
After two consecutive defeats in presidential and legislative elections (in 2012 by Franรงois Hollande and the Socialists, in 2017 by Emmanuel Macron and the Mudders), it would be time to change the register and abandon the aspirations to repeat the successful coup by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007: siphoning off the far-right votes in his favor.
In politics, experience teaches that nostalgia for the past is not the best adviser. Persistently making the same mistakes is not, either.
