Politics. Wauquiez gives LR deputies the freedom to vote confidence in Bayrou

On the eve of the fateful date, the leader of the Republican deputies, Laurent Wauquiez , gave "freedom to vote" on Sunday to the fifty members of his group on the request for confidence requested by François Bayrou , in contradiction with the leader of the party Bruno Retailleau who called on them to support the Prime Minister this Monday.

"I never ask my MPs to vote against their conscience," said Laurent Wauquiez on LCI, assuring that LR elected officials "are not bootlickers."

Laurent Wauquiez has assured that he will vote for confidence "without enthusiasm", while a large number of his deputies refuse to do so, either by abstaining or by voting against.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy also called on the LR not to vote for confidence and advocated for the dissolution of the National Assembly as the only "solution" to the political crisis.

The Haute-Loire MP also reiterated that he would not automatically censure a PS or RN government, a statement which earned him a reprimand from Bruno Retailleau.

"Are you going to bring down governments that come forward without even knowing what they want to do?" he asked, assuring that if the executive includes "LFI ministers or implements the New Popular Front program," there would obviously be censorship.

He recalled that the leaders of the right, including Bruno Retailleau and Annie Genevard and himself, had made these same remarks "a year ago after the consultations at the Elysée" on the formation of a government which led to the appointment of Michel Barnier to Matignon.

"An Olivier Faure government with a socialist program (...) is obviously a no," he added. In other scenarios, "we have to judge on what a government will propose," stressed the MP, who regretted that the LR had "rushed" in December, against his advice, to join François Bayrou 's government "without even knowing what to do."

This was a barely veiled criticism of Bruno Retailleau, as was his regret that the party president did not consult LR members before giving his instructions on Monday's confidence vote. "Obviously, I prefer a government from LR," he added, citing Xavier Bertrand as a potential Prime Minister.