Among Republicans, Eric Ciotti surprises his world by dismissing his number two, Aurélien Pradié

The Lot MP was opposed to part of the reform supported by the leadership of his party. The LR chief, Eric Ciotti, denounces a “personal adventure” to justify this decision taken on the night of Friday to Saturday.

by Alexandre Pedro

ere digital obliges, political parties today decide their disputes in WhatsApp loops. Republicans (LR) are no exception to the rule. At 11:49 am this Saturday, its president, Eric Ciotti, informed the group of deputies of his decision to dismiss Aurélien Pradié from his functions as executive vice-president of the training. “We were all a little surprised by the news this morning,” admits Isabelle Valentin, elected from Haute-Loire. Starting with the main interested party who learned it by SMS shortly before, after missing the call of its president.

At 11:43 a.m., a lapidary press release ratified this decision. Mr. Ciotti criticizes his now ex-numéro two “his repeated positions more compliant with the values ​​of coherence, unity and gathering which must guide the republican right” and regret a “personal adventure”. Between the message WhatsApp and this communication, the Lot deputy had time to reaffirm his independence. “The only spell that counts is that of the French for whom we are engaged. Convictions, it defends itself. Relentlessly”, written on Twitter the one who has been running the sets and the mornings for a month to carry a dissonant voice from his party on the pension reform.

At 36, the third man of the election for the Presidency of LR in December 2022 (22.2 %), defends the idea of ​​a social right, which “speaks to France which works when our party cut itself off from popular categories “, not hesitating to cite the example of his young brother baker. By force, he became the “long careers” of the debates, claiming that no one has to contribute more than forty-three years to go at full rate.

But internally, the elected official Occitan annoys more than one by its omnipresence of media and its opposition to the pension reform, despite the agreement in principle with the government. Starting with the liberal and conservative wing of the party, embodied by the boss of the LR senators, Bruno Retailleau. “To be on the right is not to be a little less on the left than the left,” he criticized last week in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche. 2>

applauded on Friday by the rebellious to the Assembly 2>

Eric Ciotti recognized the palpable animosity between his two former adversaries for the presidency of the party. “There is this debate between them which does not facilitate things. I manage in this context, a difficult situation,” he conceded Thursday morning in the world. At that time, was his decision to sanction Aurélien Pradié made? “Aurélien is undoubtedly talent, but he can also be damaged in this positioning which irritates some and may seem for them as far away from our fundamentals.”

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/Media reports cited above.