French conservatives remove leader Eric Ciotti for backing Le Pen pact
Al Jazeera
The move comes as President Emmanuel Macron seeks alliance against France’s far right before upcoming elections.
France’s conservative Republicans party says it has removed leader Eric Ciotti for trying to strike an electoral alliance with the far-right National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen, although he insisted he was still in the post.
The Republicans’ political committee voted unanimously to remove Ciotti, Member of Parliament Annie Genevard said on Wednesday, adding that the party “will present candidates to the French public with clarity and independence” at snap polls called by President Emmanuel Macron for June 30 and July 7.
“I am and remain the president” of the party, Ciotti retorted in a post on X, calling the committee’s decision “a flagrant violation of our statutes” that was illegal and void.
A mass revolt broke out among Republican heavyweights after Ciotti announced his deal with the RN on TV on Tuesday.
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