Capture X/The Republicans
General Christophe Gomart appearing in military uniform on an LR electoral visual.
POLITICS – Christophe Gomart had nevertheless put on a suit and tie for the formalization, this Tuesday March 19, of his candidacy in third position on the Republican list for the European elections. But on the visual posted on social networks immediately, the former head of military intelligence and special forces appears in his four-star general’s uniform on the visual of the party chaired by Éric Ciotti.
In addition to this martial taste particularly connoted in the context of electoral propaganda, the choice raised eyebrows from more than one observer. Supporting, a decree of December 14, 2007 signed by the hand of former Minister of Defense Hervé Morin, according to which it is prohibited to use military uniform ” during any activity or demonstration of a union or political nature “.
” Prohibited “
However, it is difficult not to consider as an activity “ of a political nature » the broadcast of this visual presenting General Gomart in uniform, since it is indeed to promote this recruitment within the framework of an electoral battle that the image is summoned. Especially since his status as a senior officer represents the main argument for his participation in the list led by François-Xavier Bellamy.
In response addressed to the deputy (at the time UMP) Thierry Mariani in February 2007, the executive was categorical: “ A candidate cannot therefore use for electoral purposes the means made available to him by virtue of his military status. The election judge could, in the event of non-compliance with these provisions, pronounce the ineligibility of the candidate concerned for one year. »
“ Campaign in uniform? It is both illegal in France and inappropriate in Europe », Reacted Renaissance MEP Nathalie Loiseau. “ It is strictly prohibited “, railed on his side RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli. The visual also makes military specialists cringe, like Bruno Tertraisdeputy director of the Foundation for Strategic Research, who asks the party chaired by Éric Ciotti to “ remove the visual “.
Abusive use
Contacted by HuffPost, the campaign director of the Republicans’ European campaign, Othman Nasrou, puts things into perspective. “ It is not at all illegal, since it is not an official poster that we stick in front of the polling stations, but a visual made for social networks”assures the vice-president of the Île-de-France region, reducing the criticism to “ a political subject » used by opponents of the LR list. The same argues that Christophe Gomart “ no longer in service ”, which would make the indignations of his adversaries irrelevant.
But this is not (at all) what a well-informed source within the armed forces thinks. “ The general rule, what a 2nd section officer [donc retraité], like General Gomart, has every right to be a candidate, but he remains under military status. He is therefore subject to a duty of reserve and an obligation of discretion. “, explains our interlocutor, before detailing: “ In this context, the abusive use of the rank, the uniform, in ideological, political, commercial or advertising documents is completely prohibited. »
Considering that ” the officers concerned are the first to know what they can or cannot do », our source pleads for an error made by Eric Ciotti’s party, happy to display a high ranking officer in uniform. As proof: the photo used does not come from a shooting specially carried out for the occasion, but an official photo on which LR added its logo and slogans: “ If there is anyone to blame in this story, it is certainly not General Gomart, who was also in costume for the press conference.» The problem is that the Republicans seem more interested in his uniform.
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