The head of France’s conservative party Tuesday called for an alliance with the far right in upcoming snap elections, breaking a long- standing taboo and throwing his party into turmoil as the shock waves from Prez Macron’s decision to dissolve the lower house of parliament coursed through the country.
No leader of any mainstream French political party has ever previously embraced a possible alliance with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally or its predecessor, the National Front. But across Europe, barriers to what was long regarded as the extreme nationalist right have been falling as those parties have adjusted their positions and as a broader consensus has formed that large-scale illegal immigration across a porous EU border must be curbed.
The announcement, by Eric Ciotti, the head of the Republicans, was a historic break with the party’s long-standing line and its ties to ex-prez Charles de Gaulle. Ciotti’s call was immediately met with a chorus of angry disapproval from within his own ranks. Long a “party of govt” bringing presidents like Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac to power, the Republicans have been squeezed between Macron’s centrists and the far right since 2017.
On Wednesday, French conservatives said they have removed Ciotti, although he insisted he was still in the post. The Republicans’ political committee had voted unanimously to oust Ciotti, MP Annie Genevard said. “I am and remain the president of the party,” Ciotti retorted in a post on X, calling the panel’s decision “a flagrant violation of our statutes” that was illegal and void.
No leader of any mainstream French political party has ever previously embraced a possible alliance with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally or its predecessor, the National Front. But across Europe, barriers to what was long regarded as the extreme nationalist right have been falling as those parties have adjusted their positions and as a broader consensus has formed that large-scale illegal immigration across a porous EU border must be curbed.
The announcement, by Eric Ciotti, the head of the Republicans, was a historic break with the party’s long-standing line and its ties to ex-prez Charles de Gaulle. Ciotti’s call was immediately met with a chorus of angry disapproval from within his own ranks. Long a “party of govt” bringing presidents like Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac to power, the Republicans have been squeezed between Macron’s centrists and the far right since 2017.
On Wednesday, French conservatives said they have removed Ciotti, although he insisted he was still in the post. The Republicans’ political committee had voted unanimously to oust Ciotti, MP Annie Genevard said. “I am and remain the president of the party,” Ciotti retorted in a post on X, calling the panel’s decision “a flagrant violation of our statutes” that was illegal and void.
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