The Republicans: after the clash, Bruno Retailleau receives David Lisnard this afternoon

The meeting is scheduled for the end of the afternoon this Tuesday between LR leader Bruno Retailleau and David Lisnard, the Mayor of Cannes, who announced his intention to leave the party last Wednesday.

They both have the ambition to represent the right in the presidential election, but they differ on how to achieve this: LR leader Bruno Retailleau will meet David Lisnard, the Mayor of Cannes, who announced his intention to leave the party. Is this meeting a last attempt at reconciliation or the final episode of an announced divorce? Scheduled for the late afternoon, the meeting will take place between Bruno Retailleau, who has already launched his campaign for the Élysée Palace, and David Lisnard, who has committed to running if no primary is organized.

A week ago, David Lisnard stormed out of a Republican party political meeting held in the aftermath of the local elections. The reason for his anger lies in the working group led by Senate President Gérard Larcher, which dismissed the idea of an open primary involving other parties besides LR to choose the right-wing candidate for the Élysée Palace. Party members, who will vote in mid-April, will have to decide between three options: naming Bruno Retailleau directly as the candidate, holding a primary restricted to party members, or a more open primary involving sympathizers.

“Biased voting, rigged voting”

“I do not agree with what is being proposed,” exclaimed David Lisnard in front of the press, lamenting that LR, a party of which he is one of the vice-presidents, believes “that it is still in first place and can impose a candidate who will be present in the second round.” Over the past years, David Lisnard’s threat to leave The Republicans has become recurring.

He raised this threat last autumn when his party’s MPs refused to censor the government of Sébastien Lecornu. After the European elections over two years ago, he had already described LR as “dead.” Following the political meeting, the Mayor of Cannes reiterated his stance on BFMTV, stating that he would soon leave the party and denouncing “biased voting, rigged voting” that will be proposed to the members.

“A superficial reaction!”

“A superficial reaction!” laments a member of The Republicans who is convinced that the two men “get along well.” As evidence, he points to David Lisnard’s support for Bruno Retailleau in the race for the presidency of LR a year ago, where he opposed Laurent Wauquiez, the head of the right-wing MPs. David Lisnard, who advocates for ultra-liberal positions, had reached an agreement on the principle of a “pension through capitalization,” as well as on “liberating the school, deregulation, decentralization, and public performance.”

[Context: The article discusses the meeting between LR leader Bruno Retailleau and David Lisnard, the Mayor of Cannes, who announced his intention to leave the party amid disagreements over the selection process for the right-wing candidate in the presidential election.] [Fact Check: The content appears to be a factual account of the political situation between LR and the Mayor of Cannes leading up to their meeting, based on statements made by the individuals involved.]