The presidents of the Republicans refused Tuesday to exclude from the party the 19 deputies who supported the day before the motion of censure against the government of Elisabeth Borne, Eric Ciotti recognizing "a test and a failure".
"I respect the positions of each of my colleagues. I cannot blame them," said Olivier Marleix, president of the group at the National Assembly, on BFM and RMC.
The leaders of the Republicans had called not to vote for the motion of censure tabled by the independent deputies Liot, refusing to want to "add chaos to chaos" in the battle for pensions by bringing down the government.
But, in the end, 19 out of 61 LR deputies voted for the text, i.e. almost a third of the party's troops in the National Assembly.
Mr. Marleix assured "perfectly understand" that the 19 deputies "did not want to take on a reform which was nevertheless carried out by Emmanuel Macron".
"We are opposition deputies and everyone exercises their mandate and votes responsibly. I do not have to throw stones at them", insisted the deputy, refusing to attack by name Aurélien Pradié who voted for censure. .
"The only limit for me is people who change their minds too regularly, who would lack a little loyalty. But this is not the case for most MPs who vote in conviction," he said. he added, without giving a name.
For his part, the president of the Republicans, Eric Ciotti, acknowledged that his party had "suffered a test, somewhere also a failure".
At the exit of a strategic committee of the party, he called to "draw all the lessons".
We must not "let ourselves be crushed between a government that has led the country into this situation of crisis, anger (...) and a totally irresponsible extreme opposition that could lead our country to chaos".
03/21/2023 11:23:41 - Paris (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
