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French Politics · Les RéPublicains · Political Crisis · Rassemblement National
Eric Ciotti, president of France's Les Républicains (LR) party, initiated a political crisis by calling for an unprecedented alliance with the far-right Rassemblement national (RN), leading to his immediate exclusion from LR and creating an existential challenge for the traditional conservative movement.
Ciotti's move broke a longstanding "red line" upheld by past French presidents like Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy, who consistently refused such alliances. The article notes that 53% of LR voters in the recent European elections, according to an Elabe survey for BFMTV and La Tribune newspaper, expressed support for voting RN in legislative elections, with Ciotti claiming 70 to 80 LR legislative candidates will receive RN backing while retaining their LR affiliation.
Ciotti, known as a "hardliner" or 'droite dure', aligns with RN on issues such as 'priorité nationale', ending jus soli, and banning the Muslim veil in public spaces. His actions have been widely condemned by other LR members, who labeled him a "traitor" and referenced historical French collaborationism.
This political upheaval creates significant uncertainty for the upcoming legislative elections and the future of French conservative politics.
