Everyone sees it as a challenge with a view to 2027. “
Showing a credible, courageous right-wing alternative without taboos
” according to Éric Ciotti;
“cutting
a clear political line
” for Bruno Retailleau;
"
Organize the next generation and be bold"
for Aurélien Pradié.
Monday evening, on LCI, the three candidates for the presidency of the Republicans had an hour and a half to try to win and convince the 91,000 or so members that the party now has.
All this, in the presence of their supporters installed in the public, alongside their acting boss, Annie Genevard.
Introductions under the sign of the gathering of executives and voters
After the draw, Bruno Retailleau was the first to start, not against "
adversaries
" but "
competitors
".
“
Friends
”, even said Aurélien Pradié.
The tone is set, there is no question of spreading the internal divisions at LR on the public scene or of multiplying
“chin blows”
, adds the LR deputy from Lot.
Few differences, therefore.
Both on the merits - with total opposition to the policy of Emmanuel Macron;
only on the form - the three candidates wear the same blue suit, with blue tie on white shirts.
“
We are in the same family
”, smiles Éric Ciotti, very comfortable throughout the debate, without notes in front of him.
“Our political family is too weakened to afford the luxury of dividing up,
abounds Bruno Retailleau
.
I want to gather on a clear line because we can see it well, our family has lost nearly 10 million voters in fifteen years
.
We disappointed them.
We have also betrayed some of our promises and that is what I absolutely want to change
" And the senator recalled his desire to defend "the
standard of living (of the French), the material conditions of existence, but also their mode of life.
All these little signs of the culture of our civilization which ultimately make the salt of life
”.
“
The time has come to dare the right!
», continues Éric Ciotti.
“
I can't bring myself to have some already publish the Republican obituary because what would that mean?
That after the disaster of Macron's management, there would only be one alternative left between Mr. Mélenchon and Mrs. Le Pen.
Our political family must occupy its full place.
She has to do it right.
Me, my heart is on the right.
The French have been waiting for right-wing values for too long
” supports the elected representative of the Alpes-Maritimes.
"
We need a fighter
", argues for his part the youngest of the competition, Aurélien Pradié, the "
only one to have been mayor
" (of Labastide-Murat then of Cœur de Causse, editor's note).
“
I am also the only candidate to have snatched my constituency from the left.
I was elected deputy for Lot against all odds (in 2017), re-elected very largely (in 2022)
”, he explains, saying that he wants to bring
“a new hope”.
“
This is the meaning of my candidacy.
To bring for us, for France, for our militants, a new hope
”, hammers Aurélien Pradié, by indicating it clearly: the voters of the right expect “
that we act, not only that we speak
”.
Request for firmness on the sovereign, in particular with regard to immigration
Ukraine,
Ocean Viking
, immigration, residence permits... After their introductions, the candidates embark on sovereign subjects.
With one objective: "
the return of sovereignty, France (having) organized its own impotence
", according to Bruno Retailleau.
Eric Ciotti agrees.
No question, therefore, of voting for a government text on immigration which would lead to massive regularizations.
“
I say very clearly: no rights for illegal immigrants, no housing, no allowances, no school.
It is an offense to enter the national territory illegally
, ”explains the deputy of the South-East, collecting his project in a formula: “
prison and the plane
”.
“
I speak to the French!
“, He still replies when asked if he is approaching the proposals of the RN.
"
I see a migratory invasion
," he adds.
Therefore, Éric Ciotti intends to respond without “
taboos
” or “
political correctness
”: “
We react with authority to restore order and for the French to decide who wants to welcome and who they do not want to welcome.
That's sovereignty.
This is freedom
”.
“
The ambition of the Republican right is to speak to the people again
”, continues Aurélien Pradié, who refuses “
the right of the conferences
”.
“
Our fellow citizens are concerned – and that's the least we can say – about the migration issue.
Is our country today succeeding in the challenge of assimilating each other?
The answer is no and it would be irresponsible for the Republican right not to try to solve this problem
, ”said the deputy from Lot, who wants to divide the immigration figures by two.
"
All residence permits in our country must be probationary
", continues Aurélien Pradié.
"
We must drastically reduce student immigration.
We now have entire sectors for which we have no outlet, on which we continue to welcome foreigners.
We have to put a stop to
it, ”he further argues, opposing firmness on sovereign subjects when certain elected LRs accused him at the start of the campaign of falling into otherworldliness.
No question, either, "
of falling into moral lessons
" vis-à-vis the voters of the RN, a party "
used for years by the left to paralyze, intimidate the right and ban it from this debate
"
,
affirms Bruno Retailleau.
“
I do not fall into this trap
”, he explains, saying that he considers that “
it was not racist to want to return the illegal immigrants to their homes
”, principle “
on the contrary deeply republican.
In this context, the right must "
carry out a civilization project
" to respond to the concerns of the French.
Among which is the rise of radical, political, and proselytizing Islam.
"
We all agree that the presence of the veil today is a full-blown attack on the Republic
”, says Aurélien Pradié in favor of banning this garment in public space, and supporter of the uniform. .. including at university.
Proposal that does not convince Bruno Retailleau.
Open to the idea of raising the legal retirement age to finance the system
After three quarters of an hour of discussion, the first differences are expressed on the file of pensions and the question of the legal age of departure.
Éric Ciotti and Bruno Retailleau indicate that they could vote for Emmanuel Macron's reform because they are
"not weather vanes"
, as the senator indicates, underlining the "
coherence (and) constancy
" of his camp.
“
The popular right that I want to embody is not a punishment
,” retorts Aurélien Pradié.
Way to target, without naming them, his two opponents of the competition.
“
I wish we had a fair reform.
This reform is the one that consists in saying a simple thing: those who started working early, finish early
, specifies Aurélien Pradié.
I will not cut short Emmanuel Macron on pension reform at a time when we want to clarify our political positions.
This may be the time not to serve the soup to Emmanuel Macron
”.
"With the concern for the gathering that characterizes me
, laughs Éric Ciotti - aware that many criticize him for being too divisive - LR
, I will try to make the synthesis
between Bruno Retailleau and Aurélien Pradié!".
The candidate intends to tell the truth: "
If we want to save the pension system and protect our retirees, we must contribute more
" and "
work two to three more years
".
With also “
an à la carte system
” for “
those who started very early and who are not going to be forced to go up to 65 years old
”.
The development of maritime or onshore wind power widely disapproved
After the retreats, wind turbines were the second subject of disagreement.
“
I regret the vote of the senators
”, criticizes Éric Ciotti, returning to the recent adoption of a government law on renewable energies by the Upper House, yet with a majority on the right.
“
I say this because there were two measures that we were asking for.
It was a right of veto for the mayors (on wind power), and (the fact) that no wind turbine is installed at sea less than 40 kilometers from the coast
", regretted Éric Ciotti, considering that "
we is destroying our landscapes
".
“
Things are clear the Senate should not have yielded.
You shouldn't have (...),
approves Aurélien Pradié,
.
We must say an immediate stop to the development of wind power.
This is economic nonsense
”.
“
What did we do in the Senate?
, defended Bruno Retailleau, targeted by his two competitors.
We gave the possibility to the mayors, in town planning documents, to prohibit zones.
That's all we could do because we had to have a majority and I regret that.
But barely 150 senators, it does not make the mesh when there are 348!
Well, we voted, my dear Éric, I objected.
You will also watch the votes
, ”continued the boss of the LR senators.
“
Things were clear and finally, we obtained that we could set the wind turbines ten kilometers apart as soon as
“, Bruno Retailleau still defends himself.
“
I believe in the climate challenge to be met for future generations.
But our responsibility is to respond intelligently and not to respond with a whip
, ”slice Éric Ciotti.
Finding a crest path between conservatism and modernity
Should the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) be included in the Constitution, as advocated by the Macronists of the Renaissance as well as the Insoumis?
"
No, I don't agree
", replies Bruno Retailleau clearly.
“
The first thing is because no one is challenging the Veil law.
In France, there is not a party, a majority, a government that disputes it.
Moreover, the Constitutional Council practically constitutionalized precisely this right for women to have recourse to abortion.
(…) I am French, I am not American, and it is a debate that the far left is importing from the United States
”.
"
We have no problem with including the principles of the Veil law in the Constitution only the principles, neither more nor less
”, pleads Éric Ciotti who believes “
in a right of conquest of rights
”.
“
The right cannot be corny.
It must also be in tune with society
, ”he continues, without specifying whether he is targeting someone in particular with this attack.
Starting with Bruno Retailleau, often presented as the most conservative of the three candidates.
"
No
", sweeps Eric Ciotti, who "
wishes that we keep the best of the past, of our roots, of course, of our civilizations, but that we also look at the future, hope, how our society is evolving, how young people also want to evolve
".
“
It is always a bad thing that the right takes up words from the left to make the right feel guilty,
retorts Bruno Retailleau, according to whom
it is not a question of questioning the Veil law.
The Veil law, it exists and it is not threatened.
»
“Yes, it's always a bad thing when the right abandons its historic battles to the far left,
rebounds Aurélien Pradié, visibly in agreement with Éric Ciotti.
Yes
,
Simone Veil, it's our fight, it's our story.
And yes, tomorrow I hope that this right, which no longer speaks to anyone, can speak to the French and the French again.
(...) I do not want the right to always reproduce the same errors.
Tomorrow let us be a line of conquerors.”
Three shades of distancing from Nicolas Sarkozy to rebuild the right
"
Politics are convictions (...) No question of being the crutch of Macron.
There is no question of being Marine Le Pen's stepping stone either
,” insists Bruno Retailleau, affirming that “
the brand [of the Republicans] is dead.
We have to rebuild everything, from floor to ceiling.
We have to come up with something new.
We will have to change our name
”.
Bruno Retailleau assumes “
this break with Nicolas Sarkozy because he supported (Emmanuel) Macron in the presidential election.
And (that) he is for a coalition with Emmanuel Macron.
If those who want to go with Mr. Macron really want to go, there is a party, it's En Marche!
".
“The objective is to win the presidential election of 2027. It is in 2027 that the
develops Eric Ciotti, also in favor of a line of independence from the executive.
“
Today we are still on the move and we have strengths, convictions, territories, activists and we must thank our activists who are still there.
And I tell them every night.
Thank you for still being there
”, explains Éric Ciotti, also “
disagreeing with what Nicolas Sarkozy advocates
” namely an alliance with Emmanuel Macron.
"
No question of being Macron's crutch,
" adds Bruno Retailleau.
Nor is there any question of being Marine Le Pen's stepping stone
”.
"
We must turn the page of Nicolas Sarkozy
", continues Aurélien Pradié.
"
I'm the only one who can really do it because I was neither a historic opponent of Nicolas Sarkozy nor Nicolas Sarkozy's lieutenant
," he pleads.
Way to return back to back Bruno Retailleau and Éric Ciotti, who were both already involved in the political life of the right when the former head of state was in business
.
“
And I think we are at a time where we have to cut ties with him, do it with respect.
It's not about settling accounts.
This is not to insult him.
He was a great President of the Republic.
(...) We just move on
“, he completes.
A future called Laurent Wauquiez according to Éric Ciotti.
Too early, judge Bruno Retailleau, at the risk, he believes, of weakening the future candidate and especially of not advancing on the work of ideas essential to the reconstruction of the right.
"
Laurent Wauquiez has all the qualities tomorrow to be our candidate (...)
, indicates Bruno Retailleau.
We are going to put the ego, the egos before the ideas.
We have a huge reconstruction work to do, and then (will come) the incarnation.
It will still be necessary to agree on the calendar and the method of appointing the presidential candidate.
