In a favorable position in the 3rd constituency of Tarn, Guilhem Carayon wanted to “build an alliance of patriots”, even if it meant disappointing part of his political family. Opposite him, the outgoing majority deputy Jean Terlier and the New Popular Front candidate Julien Lassalle are trying to block his path.
“We will win thanks to a great coalition of the right!” At 25, Guilhem Carayon already has the confidence of old hands in politics. On the Aussillon market, in the 3rd constituency of Tarn, the ambitious young man is campaigning, Thursday June 20, to try to be elected deputy during the early legislative elections, the first round of which takes place on June 30. The president of young LR, who was not excluded from his movement, chose to follow Eric Ciotti in his desire for an alliance with the National Rally. “This agreement should have been done before, because if this continues, it will be civil war in the country”, rejoices a historic RN voter as she collects the candidate’s leaflet. While an activist gets angry: “I’m not shaking your hand because I’m blocking the far right.”
In the center of the prospectus, the broad smile of Guilhem Carayon is surrounded by Eric Ciotti and Jordan Bardella, with the words “Republican candidate supported by the National Rally”, without the LR logo. “I don’t want to be dependent on litigation. We thought about a wording with Eric Ciotti and we checked with the lawyers”he explains, already thinking about victory. “I am not fighting to pass the 6% in each election and for us to save six seats in the European Parliament. I want us to gain power to change the country.”
“LR had fallen into indifference and no longer interested anyone. We obtained 7% in the European elections, even though we had a great campaign.”
Guilhem Carayon, LR/RN candidate in Tarnat franceinfo
The son of Bernard Carayon, former deputy and still boss of the LR in the department, will not have another right-wing candidate facing him, unlike several of his comrades. “Personally, I would have liked to put someone in front of him, but we were taken by surprise. But that is worth neither support nor nomination”, specifies Michèle Tabarot, president of the national investiture commission LR “historical channel” branch, which has invested nearly 400 candidates. The decision also suits the outgoing MP Jean Terlier (Renaissance), who admits to having telephoned Michèle Tabarot to avoid another candidacy. Objective ? Give yourself a chance to recover votes on the right and access the second round.
The vote therefore looks uncertain, but Guilhem Carayon knows he has a head start. “We have to win now”says a sympathizer on the market impatiently. “If we don’t win there, we will never win”responds enthusiastically the candidate of the Union of the far right, according to the label chosen by the Ministry of the Interior. “If we take the European projections, we should come out well ahead and find ourselves facing the LFI”, calculates his deputy, Alexandre Pujol. In the European elections, the National Rally finished far ahead, with 35.6% of the votes in this constituency, which extends from Lavaur to Mazamet via Castres. The score rises to 43.1% with the addition of LR votes and allows Guilhem Carayon to hope for better than his fourth place and his 16.28% obtained in 2022.
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Between the fruit and vegetable stands, the three main candidates meet on the Aussillon market. Julien Lassalle, the LFI candidate of the New Popular Front, is just as firm: “We have already campaigned against each other, but at the time he was a Republican candidate. He chose to ally himself with the far right, which has a racist and xenophobic project for the country. I will do everything to ensure that he is beaten.”
“As the son of a Spanish immigrant, I can tell what the far right is to those who say ‘we haven’t tried them’.”
Julien Lassalle, New Popular Front candidate for the legislative elections in Tarnat franceinfo
Faced with the left alliance, Guilhem Carayon chose his target and willingly diverted the notion of a republican front. “If we are in the second round, we will make a ‘republican front’ against the far left”, repeats the candidate while distributing his leaflets. He is already calling on centrist voters to “to block”. “I don’t want to have Jean-Luc Mélenchon as Prime Minister, or even the notorious S Raphaël Arnault as Minister of Youth” he says, even if the left alliance has not yet designated a leader. “I don’t want to play on fears, but I’m afraid for my country”he explains.
Guilhem Carayon also mocks the economic program of the left, with the minimum wage at 1,600 euros net “which would sink all businesses”. But he is less comfortable regarding the differences in economic program between LR and the RN. “There are many of our proposals, from our counter-budget, which are found in the coalition project that we are defending”he assures, before recalling the priorities of the alliance which are “purchasing power, security and immigration”. He will also be alongside Jordan Bardella on Monday in Paris to detail this program which has continued to evolve in recent days.
“Macron burned the bank. We sold him as the Mozart of finance and his management was disastrous. Our challenge is to reassure.”
Guilhem Carayonat franceinfo
In the constituency, it is also a local issue which crystallizes the debates: the construction site of the A69 motorway, which will link Castres to Toulouse. The majority candidate, Jean Terlier, knows this and displays the color on his leaflets with the words “for the A69”. “The highway, we have to do it, damn it!”an Eric Zemmour voter loses his temper while questioning the candidates. “If I win, we will complete the project, we will restore public order and we will expel the Zadistspromises Guilhem Carayon. My left-wing opponent wants a moratorium, he wants to suspend the project”. LFI candidate Julien Lassalle takes this measure to “soothe” And “open a dialogue” : “I think that the moratorium is the possibility of an exit from the top.”
A little later in the morning, in the small covered market of Labastide-Rouairoux, at the other end of the department, Guilhem Carayon realized that his alliance with the RN was not approved by everyone. “I think there is a bit of opportunism”judges a caterer who will not vote “for the extremes”. “He seeks to get elected in one way or another by making unnatural alliances”, also believes Yannick, organic market gardener. Ali, a resident of Mazamet, voted for the candidate in 2022 and now regrets his choice. “He thoroughly criticized the RN and now he is with them? It’s treacherous”he gets annoyed.
But the president of young LR does not budge. “I am in agreement with my convictions. I have always said that I am to the right of LR, of a popular right”estimates the one who now wishes “building an alliance of patriots”.
“I have more similarities with the RN than with Macron.”
Guilhem Carayonat franceinfo
The young student lawyer, who manages his campaign while finishing writing his memoir, tries to reassure about the preservation of the rule of law, as well as the sidelining of the most radical elements within the RN. “I don’t want there to be people in the ranks who are not republicans, violent or aggressive people. But I believe that objectively, the National Rally has done the job”, he assures. Concerning the sulphurous past of the National Front, he puts things into perspective: “Jordan Bardella is 28 years old and we still talk to him about Jean-Marie Le Pen. We could also talk about Mitterrand’s PS and René Bousquet. Each party has a complex history.”
In the streets of the small town of Mazamet too, a page of history also seems to have been turned on the excesses of the past. “This alliance does not bother me. I believe that we must evolve with the times”declares Dany, 71, worried about the purchasing power of retirees. “I don’t understand why the right is criticized for allying with the extreme right, while the left and the extreme left pose no problem”exclaims a business leader, emptying a pastis in a bar in the city. “I’m not afraid of the National Rally. Look at Meloni in Italy, she’s bringing in foreigners” also explains Amy, originally from Djibouti and who has lived in France for twenty-nine years.
“In the electorate, the debate is more divided than among political leaders, analyzes the diverse-right mayor of Mazamet, Olivier Fabre. Some people wonder why we could not ally ourselves with a party which got rid of the excesses of Jean-Marie Le Pen and with which we share a lot of things about government, about security.”
“I will only give one voting instruction in these elections, which is to block the extreme left.”
Olivier Fabre, mayor of Mazametat franceinfo
“There are people who hesitated, who wondered if this alliance was the right solution,” recognizes Guilhem Carayon, while ensuring that he has done “pedagogical work”. However, certain LR frameworks remain critical. Richard Amalvy, historic Republican right activist, says he “penalty” of the choice of his young friend. “I’ve seen him grow up, it’s disturbing. I think he’s damaging his talent with an unnatural alliance”decides the former elected official, who still has his Republican card. “The far right is a caricature of the right. They have made the connection on questions of security, on identity. If I can agree on the symptoms, I do not agree on the analysis of the causes and on solutions.” And the former local head of the RPR concluded by quoting the words of Jacques Chirac, “Never deal with extremism”then those of François Mitterrand: “Nationalism is war.”
List of candidates for the first round:
- Julien LASSALLE (Union of the Left)
- Chantal TRESSENS (Far left)
- Alban AZAIS (Sovereignist Right)
- Jean TERLIER (Together! (Presidential majority))
- Guilhem CARAYON (Union of the far right)
- Claire DAUGÉ (Regionalist)