The Republicans repeated Thursday their refusal of any "poaching", after the outstretched hand of Emmanuel Macron to the "individualities" on the right who supported his pension reform.
"We can work around successive texts, but I am personally for a line that remains independent, autonomous", estimated Thursday on the President of the Senate Gérard Larcher on LCI, recalling having "deep differences" with President Emmanuel Macron.
For the right-wing leader, a coalition contract is made "around a project" and "the time to write the project, it's called the day after the presidential election or the legislative elections", not months more late.
"The poaching method is totally worn out," added the boss of LR deputies Olivier Marleix on Public Senate, whose group of 61 deputies holds the precious key to an absolute majority.
"There are no longer many people to poach elsewhere," added Mr. Marleix. He criticizes the Head of State for a "political game" consisting of "pushing the left into the arms of the far left of Mr. Mélenchon, and the right-wing voters into the arms of Marine Le Pen" to find themselves "at the head of a central block".
"The result is this terrible fracturing in the country, the fact that today we wonder what the alternative could be," he analyzed.
On Wednesday, during a television interview, Emmanuel Macron wanted his Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to work on "the co-construction of a parliamentary agenda" with "political individuals (who), with their convictions, are ready to work with the forces of the majority".
"We will support projects that are in the general interest, but we will not support the overall policy of this government", replied a few hours later the president of LR Eric Ciotti in front of journalists.
The boss of the LR senators Bruno Retailleau had castigated the "political impotence" of the head of state.
LR seems deeply divided since 19 deputies, including former number 2 Aurélien Pradié, voted on Monday for a motion of censure aimed at overthrowing the government. The latter finally stood by 99 votes.
"We must stop thinking that LR is reduced to Aurélien Pradié", was annoyed on Wednesday evening on BFMTV the LR mayor of Meaux Jean-François Copé, a long-time supporter of a government agreement.
"With the two thirds" who did not vote for the motion on Monday "you make a majority", he added, calling on Emmanuel Macron to "recompose it with LRs who are ready to do so".
The former Sarkozyist minister Rachida Dati, who makes little mystery of her ambitions for the town hall of Paris in 2026, had also pleaded for a "political agreement" between her party and Emmanuel Macron.
03/23/2023 12:28:34 - Paris (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
