The Republicans formalized their head of list on Tuesday: it will be François-Xavier Bellamy, outgoing MEP who had already led the party list five years ago.
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The Republicans know it, after the disappointing results of the last national elections (less than 5% in the presidential election), the upcoming European elections serve as a test. They are once again banking on François-Xavier Bellamy, the outgoing MEP, as head of the list. For the party, it’s a bit double or nothing.
“The goal is survival”, admits a party executive. The ax is these 5% below which a list does not obtain any MEP. “It would be very bad news, the Republican right would no longer exist in one of the parliamentary assemblies”fears an outgoing elected official, while someone close to Eric Ciotti admits to being “worried at times”.
But most LR frames display their “optimism”especially in view of the polls which give the list at 8%. “If we reach 10% it will be ‘operation relaunch’, the start of a new story”launches a strategist who hopes to ride the dynamic set in motion during the immigration law.
It remains to exist in an announced duel between the RN and Macronie. François-Xavier Bellamy is not the best known candidate, “it’s true that we have a problem of incarnation”concedes a senior officer, “but we have the ideas, and our candidate is a hard worker who knows the files perfectly.”
