"They are not good": Renaud Muselier blasts François Bayrou and the RN

Clubhouse of the Milles golf course in Aix-en-Provence. This Friday evening, there are no players at the bar replaying their 18 holes. But there are 350 political enthusiasts, including around a hundred elected officials from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, from Bouches-du-Rhône senator Brigitte Devésa to Jean-Pierre Serrus, vice-president of the South region. We also meet representatives of various political movements, excluding the extremes: Ecology in the Center, the UDI, the LR, the Centrists, Horizons, the MoDem, and of course, Renaissance. All invited to the back-to-school garden party of Cap sur l'avenir, Renaud Muselier's regional party with 2,500 members, which begins with a quick round of handshakes.

Once at the microphone, the president of the South Region does not spare Prime Minister François Bayrou and his choice of confidence vote in the National Assembly this Monday. "At his age and with so much experience, we did not expect such stupidity from him," he says. "Stupidity for him, for France, for the President... Total stupidity." He continues, even angrier: "I regret his political gesture which puts us all in great difficulty, and which proves that he did not make the right diagnosis when he made this choice. So yes, he wanted to take the French people on board by telling them that things are going badly. But he forgot that in the National Assembly, it is the parties who decide. Parties who don't give a damn about us." Then adds: "They only think of themselves for the presidential election. We only think of the citizens in the municipal elections." That sets the scene.

"What have all those hiding behind Marine Le Pen proven?"

Alongside him are twelve "municipal election referents," including François de Canson (mayor of La Londe and vice-president of the Region) and Anthony Borré (first deputy mayor of Nice), who take turns advocating for a Muselier-style rally. Not that of Marine Le Pen's party, which would have led to "disaster" if its local representatives had won the Region in 2021.

"They are no good. [...] With them, goodbye to the Olympic Games, goodbye to the New Line, goodbye to European funds ," the former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs fumes. "Goodbye to everything. Look at the incompetence of some of our elected officials. What have they proven, all those who hide behind Marine Le Pen, a woman of the extreme right? Not much!"

He pauses to acknowledge the presence of Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, former Secretary of State for Citizenship and the City. "If we are divided against the RN, we lose ," he continues. " Period. For the next six months, I will ensure that we are united in Toulon, Marseille, Avignon. We don't care about Muselier. If I do this, it's so that we don't get gently fooled by an RN that is trying to ride the wave. [...] Whether it's the RN or LFI, we will beat them." And he concludes: "Come on, let's fight! But before that, let's go to the bar." François de Canson's reaction: "It's part of the fight."