The Macronists have gone down one floor.
To refound La République en Marche (LREM) in the Renaissance, on Saturday September 17, they took over the decor of the Carrousel du Louvre.
A few meters below the esplanade where Emmanuel Macron celebrated his victory in 2017. The device of this congress is less grandiloquent but the essential is there.
A giant screen, French and European colours, a long platform dividing the public and a new chef: the former Elysian councilor Stéphane Séjourné.
Read alsoStéphane Séjourné: "
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"
Barely invested as secretary general of the party, the MEP received the encouragement of the head of state.
"It is united and gathered that we are going to open a new chapter in the political life of our country"
, launched the President of the Republic - and new honorary president of the party - in a video broadcast on the screens.
Faced with
"upheavals"
, "
we do not have time for division"
, he insisted, sweeping away the divisions.
“Without unity, the extremes will prevail.
»
In front of an audience of more than a thousand supporters, ministers and parliamentarians, Stéphane Séjourné boasted at the podium of his new company, in the name of
"surpassing"
.
"Renaissance will be a real political party"
,
"structured but not fixed",
declared the MEP.
It is a question of correcting the shortcomings of LREM, accused of lacking internal debate and local implantation, in order to redefine an
“ideology”
and make it the
“most decentralized party of the Fifth Republic”
.
Consulted online Friday and Saturday, the activists approved the direction of the new formation (83% of votes for), its statutes (87% of votes for) and its charter of values (96%).
Some 25,000 “
certified
” members were called upon to express themselves.
Preparing for post-Macron
If the movement founded in 2016 by Emmanuel Macron is renewed, the Macronist fundamentals have not changed: Europe, ecology, work, secularism and equal opportunity.
At Renaissance,
"we believe that the movement is the only possible solution"
, declared the Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, to better distinguish herself from the promoters of
"blocking"
.
Understand: the oppositions, from the left which
"doubts the value of work"
to the Republicans, whose
"dikes"
with the National Rally
"are crumbling"
, in the words of Stéphane Séjourné.
Read alsoMacron is still looking for a course for his mandate
Applause in the room and in the front row, where the presidential candidates are lined up.
There are the ministers Bruno Le Maire and Gérald Darmanin, determined to remain in the bosom of Renaissance, where the first deals with ideas and the second with training.
There is also Édouard Philippe, the former prime minister now at the head of his formation, Horizons.
Renaissance was also designed to channel their ambitions.
If they want to secure the party's nomination for 2027, everyone knows that they will have to go through its nomination procedure - the puzzle has been referred to a congress in October 2024 at the latest, after the European elections.
“We choose trust”
, rather than that of
“division”
and
“confrontation”
, warned the general delegate of LREM, before passing the torch to Stéphane Séjourné.
Read alsoStéphane Séjourné, the great post-Macron organizer
The after-Macron is already in people's minds.
“We needed a spark to restart the machine and continue the party without Macron.
What is at stake here is the aftermath”
, says Alexandre Meslin, an activist who came from Yonne to listen to the speeches, French and European flags at hand.
"We want to register in time this central current of political life"
, welcomes for his part the deputy Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade.
thwarted project
Supporters of Emmanuel Macron, however, had to revise their plans downwards.
The project of
"great political movement"
initially desired by the Head of State fizzled, thwarted by the desire for autonomy of his allies Édouard Philippe and François Bayrou.
As a result, it is reduced to Renaissance, which must join the small parties Territories of Progress, led by Minister Olivier Dussopt (Labour), and Agir, led by Franck Riester (Relations with Parliament).
Another shadow on the operation, the absence of François Bayrou at the Louvre meeting, when a chair had been reserved for him in the front row.
A little earlier, in
Le Parisien
, the president of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) said he was opposed to any
"forced passage"
on pensions.
A warning issued to Emmanuel Macron, who plans to accelerate his work by having his reform adopted by the end of the year, via the Social Security budget.
Read alsoBy transforming LREM into a "
Renaissance
", Emmanuel Macron wants to bring order to his majority
Of these tensions in the majority, there was no question on Friday.
The Macronists were instead asked to unite and embark on a
"permanent campaign"
.
“I want Renaissance to meet French people who doubt
,” insisted Stéphane Séjourné at the microphone, echoing the
“field battle” to
which Emmanuel Macron called.
A little earlier, the intervention of the Head of State ended with a wish, referring beyond 2027:
“Long live Renaissance”.
