A hundred people settled in the bleachers of the performance hall of the Omega complex, in Sainte-Maire-la-Mer, this Saturday morning. All came to see Éric Ciotti, MP for the 1st constituency of the Alpes-Maritimes and candidate for the presidency of the Les Républicains party. Sometimes disillusioned activists after the results of the presidential and legislative elections.
“I was disappointed with certain betrayals” – Christian, LR member
“I come to listen to what he is going to tell us”replies Claudine cautiously, while waiting for the speeches to begin. She no longer has her card with the Republicansshe was “disappointed”she acknowledges, by the party’s low score in the presidential and legislative elections. “The right did not come together, I wish there was a unified force”she recognizes, even if she adds immediately after “I’m still for LR 100%, but I’m waiting to see….”
By his side, Christian, who still has his Les Républicains card: “I still want to believe in it, I believe in Mr Ciotti”. He admits thathe will vote for him in the party president election next December. “But it’s true that I’m having a hard time right now”confides the long-time activist, disappointed by the “betrayals” of certain former Republicans, such as Bruno Le Maire. “As soon as he could, he ran into Macron’s arms”he regrets.
A confident candidate
For his part, Éric Ciotti, who finds himself facing Olivier Badelon, Virginie Calmels, Serge Grouard, Christophe Jeammot, Sébastien Laye, Aurélien Pradié and Bruno Retailleau, in this race for the presidency of the party, be hopeful. “I come to a land that has marked a setback for our political family, that’s clear, but I want to give hope to our activists, tell them that the right is destined to return to power tomorrow”he says.
The candidate admits wanting to focus during this campaign on “concerns that concern all French people: the rise of violence in our territories, the loss of purchasing power, environmental concerns, concern about increasingly uncontrolled immigration”.
In the Pyrénées-Orientales, there were 1,100 Republicans members as of December 31, 2021.