[ad_1]
The politicians of the French right-wing party, Republicans, met on Tuesday to discuss the way forward after the worst results of their European elections.
On Sunday, the party's leader, Laurent Wauquiez, resigned, baduming responsibility for the dismal 8.5% of the European elections, which left the party of former president Nicolas Sarkozy in fourth position.
This figure was particularly disappointing as opinion polls predicted a distance of 14%, which created a brief optimism within the party during the campaign.
So what went wrong?
The candidate
Xavier Bellamy, a 33-year-old philosophy professor, was the face of the Republicans (LR) at the time of the election.
His appointment drew initial skepticism from some quarters, perceived by some as representing outdated and traditional family values. But for others, it was his call.
He did not hide his personal opposition to abortion – although he said he had never imagined wanting to influence Republican politics or French law in the matter.
However, he was a skilful debater and his polite and reasonable style earned him praise during the campaign in a time of screaming, sometimes vicious politics – an almost sweet picture thwarted by an angry France still struggling against the Yellow Vest revolt.
This is a reservation that was expressed early by some Republican MPs, which is resurfacing now.
The problems
The outgoing head of the LR recognized that environmental issues were almost completely absent from the party's campaign.
"It was a mistake," said Wauquiez at Le Figaro magazine.
He told the newspaper on Tuesday that he thought that ecology was at the heart of the right and that Republicans had to come up with strong green policies.
Many voices within the party, including the head of the Paris region, Valerie Pecresse, maintain that the campaign is too focused on issues related to immigration and not enough on the economy.
But for Philippe Braud, professor emeritus at Sciences Po, the largest institute of political science in France, the problem is simply a "political space in which to exist".
He claims that there are not enough voters in the area between the far right National Rally, the former National Front Marine Le Pen and the Republic in Emmanuel Macron's march.
He notes that Edward Philippe, Prime Minister of Macron, himself a former member of the LR group, leads a right-wing economic policy and attracts many right-wing voters who prioritize these issues.
Meanwhile, The Pen is siphoning voters from Republicans who are more concerned with immigration and less pro-European.
However, the future is not dark for Republicans, according to Philippe Braud. He believes that the party will organize some sort of recovery in the local elections of 2020. They have a network of mayors and councilors in office, and at the local level, he says, sitting candidates have the advantage.
Source link
