Paris – A growing debate within France’s center-right Les Républicains party over a potential alliance with the far-right National Rally is intensifying, revealing deep divisions within the traditionally conservative bloc. Valérie Pécresse, a prominent voice in the party adn president of the Île-de-France region, has publicly warned against any such union, arguing it would compromise the party’s principles and offer legitimacy to a political force she sharply opposes. The internal struggle comes as Les Républicains seek a path forward following consecutive electoral disappointments, and amid increasing pressure from both the far-right and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government.
A leading figure in France’s center-right Les Républicains party is warning against any alliance with the far-right National Rally, as discussions of a potential union on the right continue to gain traction. Valérie Pécresse, the president of the Île-de-France region and a former presidential candidate, argued that her party “is not for sale” and should not legitimize the National Rally.
Pécresse’s comments, published Sunday in La Tribune dimanche, come as some within Les Républicains explore potential cooperation with the National Rally, a move that could reshape France’s political landscape. The debate reflects a broader struggle within the right-wing to find a path forward amid declining electoral fortunes.
Pécresse sharply criticized both the National Rally and the far-left La France Insoumise, describing them as “two sides of the same coin” and representing a dead end for the country. “LFI is a France that is divided and ruined,” she wrote. She accused the National Rally of disguising an economic program similar to that of the far-left, shifting positions on Europe, and harboring “a troubling fascination” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“After a decade of drifting, France needs a course and a compass, not a weather vane that would lead it to shipwreck,” Pécresse stated, referencing her own unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2022, where she failed to reach 5% of the vote in the first round.
Pécresse warned that aligning with the National Rally would mean surrendering the principles of the traditional right. “There is nothing to be expected from those who despise the Republican right, its values and its history,” she argued. “To ally with the RN is to erase oneself. It is to become its lackeys, its guarantee of respectability.”
She called for a broader coalition encompassing former supporters of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), Gaullists, centrists, and those disillusioned with President Emmanuel Macron’s government. Pécresse specifically mentioned members of the Horizons party, led by Macron’s former prime minister Édouard Philippe, as potential allies. This call for unity underscores the fragmentation within the French right and the search for a viable alternative to both the far-right and the current administration.
The intervention from Pécresse follows the recent publication of a memoir by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, in which he advocated for a broad alliance on the right to rebuild the party. Le Journal d’un prisonnier, details Sarkozy’s belief that rebuilding the right requires the “widest possible spirit of rallying, without exclusion and without anathema.”
Another regional leader from Les Républicains, Xavier Bertrand of the Hauts-de-France region, has also spoken out against both extremes of the political spectrum, stating, “Neither LFI nor National Rally.” The differing viewpoints within Les Républicains highlight the internal divisions as the party navigates its future strategy.
The ongoing debate over potential alliances underscores the fluidity of French politics and the challenges facing traditional parties as they seek to adapt to a changing electorate.
