France's Republican Party removes its leader Ciotti amid his refusal to step down.
The conservative party LR has kicked out its party leader, Eric Ciotti, due to an alliance offer he made with Marine Le Pen's right-wing populists. The decision was unanimous, with the LR making the announcement after a special meeting of the party leadership, at which Ciotti was absent.
Ciotti sees things differently, however. "I remain the chairman," he wrote online. He argued that the special meeting violated party regulations and thus had no legal consequences. In the meantime, deputies Annie Genevard and François-Xavier Bellamy have been appointed to temporarily take over the party leadership after Ciotti's expulsion.
Ciotti had expressed support for an alliance between the right-conservative Republicans and the right-wing populist party Rassemblement National (RN) the previous day, breaking a longstanding taboo. This had prompted several municipal politicians and senators to resign from the party.
A coalition with the right-wing populists has been off-limits for most French parties for decades. This also applied to the Republicans, who honor the legacy of Charles de Gaulle, who led the French resistance against Nazi Germany and later became president. The party that preceded the RN, the Front National, was founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen and Pierre Bousquet in the early 1970s, both of whom were former members of the Waffen-SS.
The RN welcomed Ciotti's offer. According to faction leader Marine Le Pen, it was a "brave decision" that demonstrated "responsibility." After the RN's victory in the European elections on Sunday and the poor showing of her own party, French President Emmanuel Macron has called for new elections to the National Assembly. The election will take place in two rounds on June 30th and July 7th.
