Republicans have a leader.
Sunday evening, they elected Éric Ciotti as president of the Republicans.
The winner of the second round qualified with 53.7% of the vote, or 33,609 votes.
For his part, Bruno Retailleau collected 46.3% of the votes (28,977 votes), in a ballot marked by 69.75% participation (72% in the first round).
"It's a clean score that does not humiliate anyone"
By installing Éric Ciotti at the helm of the LR movement, the members judged that the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes had the most suitable profile to assume a double mission: to raise a party very weakened by the last presidential election and to offer the right chances credible victories in the next elections.
Leading the first round with 8 points and obtaining a shower of support in recent days - the unofficial one from Aurélien Pradié, the official one from his friends, Christian Jacob, François Baroin or Olivier Marleix - Éric Ciotti has therefore reinforced his advance.
Read alsoLR Presidency: Éric Ciotti, the victory of a favorite
As soon as his victory was known, the new president of LR received many phone calls.
Starting with Bruno Retailleau who hailed him for his victory, but also Laurent Wauquiez, Christian Jacob, François Baroin.
"
We are organizing the transfer of power on Monday afternoon from 4:30 p.m.
," says Annie Genevard, the interim president since this summer, "
it's a clean score that doesn't humiliate anyone, both of them have a very good score
".
A photo of the two finalists to close the campaign
During the campaign, the three candidates Éric Ciotti, Aurélien Pradié and Bruno Retailleau had promised a major cleaning "
from floor to ceiling
".
These promises, the two finalists maintained them during the interval between the two rounds by opposing two different strategies.
The first, defended by Éric Ciotti, bet on Laurent Wauquiez to embody the ambitions of the movement and wear the colors of the right for the next presidential election.
The second, assumed by Bruno Retailleau, consisted in posing the “
break
” as the starting point for an ideological overhaul which would not take the risk of exposing its future presidential candidate, whoever it may be, too soon.
Very quickly, the new president of the Republicans will have to get down to building his team and trying to bring together a divided political family.
Will this competition leave lasting traces?
If the end of the campaign was tense between the candidates and the entourages, Bruno Retailleau seeing in Éric Ciotti the “
candidate of the status quo
”, all were also aware that the party can no longer afford the luxury of fratricidal struggles.
Last night, the two finalists met at LR headquarters for a unit photo.
Bruno Retailleau, a score that makes him essential
Above all, Bruno Retailleau loses with honors.
Supported by a large majority of the 145 senators of the group he chairs within the Luxembourg Palace, the senator from Vendée does not have to be ashamed of his score.
Supported in the campaign by François-Xavier Bellamy, Julien Aubert and Othman Nasrou, in particular, Bruno Retailleau stands out as one of the strong voices of the right.
“
Bruno Retailleau has done everything to give hope to the French who are not resigned to having no choice but between the extremes and philipo-macronism,
immediately reacted the senator from La Manche, Philippe Bas.
Its mission does not end there.
His score now makes him essential.
Everyone should take this into account.
»
As for Aurélien Pradié who quickly hailed the victory of Éric Ciotti, he did not give up any ambition recalling after the first lap that he had time for him.
And that he counted well, with his friends.
“
There is an obligation to gather
”, slips the treasurer of LR, Daniel Fasquelle, after
the announcement of the results, the responsibility rests on the shoulders of Éric Ciotti”.