the presidential majority is getting organized, but does not yet officially have a head of list

The European elections take place in just over six months. The majority are starting to organize themselves, but without addressing the annoying subject: that of the distribution of places.

The presidential majority is beginning to prepare the European campaign. The elections will take place on June 9, 2024. Renaissance has already pre-booked rooms for future meetings. The Macronists are also considering organizing, from January, exchanges on the ground with the French to talk about Europe, while waiting to have a candidate to campaign behind.

The boss of Renaissance, Stéphane Séjourné, holds the rope, but Emmanuel Macron will not decide before 2024. “It’s difficult to make the list without knowing who will be number one,” admits an executive. Things will still speed up since Renaissance plans to install its investiture committee on December 21. She will have to select who will appear on the list for the presidential party, between outgoing people who want to return and new faces, even members of civil society.

Renaissance obviously has to deal with its partners, because it will be, as in 2019, a list of the presidential majority. Everyone is well aware that places are likely to be expensive because the polls give the Macronist list at 19-20%, or no more than 20 MEPs. Today there are 23 in the European Parliament.

Party leaders must meet before Christmas

The MoDem would like to keep five seats. There also needs to be room for the Radical Party, and undoubtedly for the centrists of the UDI, with whom negotiations have begun. There is also Horizons, which did not exist in 2019, and Édouard Philippe’s friends seem greedy. There are currently two outgoing Philippists: the head of the 2019 list Nathalie Loiseau and Gilles Boyer, the right-hand man of the former Prime Minister.

Why not double down? Someone close to Édouard Philippe is provocative with this joke which doesn’t make everyone laugh: “20 positions for five parties, that’s four places each,” he mocks. “They think they are so strong that they could also ask for 15 places,” squeaks a MoDem elected official. “The distribution will be settled between the party presidents”, decides a frame, therefore between Stéphane Séjourné, Édouard Philippe and François Bayrou. Their lieutenants met again on Friday and this thorny subject was left to the big bosses who will try to see each other before Christmas.