The change is now for La République en Marche. LREM officially became Renaissance during a congress on Saturday at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, after the approval by the members of the new statutes and the new management led by Stéphane Séjourné.
Activists approved 83% of the new leadership, 87% of the new party statutes and 96% of the body of values drawn up at the end of August. Some 25,000 to 26,000 “certified” members were called upon to vote. However, the party did not communicate the number of members who took part in these three votes.
Emmanuel Macron wants “unity”
“Unity and overcoming is what I want to give this evening,” said Emmanuel Macron in a video broadcast at Le Carrousel. “We were able to reconcile so many women and men who until then did not work together” and “it is united and gathered that we are going to open a new chapter in the political life of our country”. But “without unity, the extremes will prevail”, nevertheless warned the head of state, now honorary president of Renaissance.
Present at the meeting, Elisabeth Borne once again pleaded for the political “overcoming” between the right and the left advocated by Emmanuel Macron. “I will also be there to ensure the unity of the majority” which “will only succeed if it is based on its three pillars”, also said the Prime Minister in reference to Horizons, the party of Édouard Philippe, present in the Carrousel, and François Bayrou’s MoDem who, expected, was absent.
This majority will succeed “if it advances as one block and faces together”, insisted Elisabeth Borne, while these three allies only hold a relative majority in the National Assembly.
Former collaborator of Emmanuel Macron, president of the Renaissance group in the European Parliament, Stéphane Séjourné will be surrounded by deputy secretaries general. Among these, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire will be in charge of ideas, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin of training. Finally, the Agir et Territoires de Progrès (TDP) parties will have the rank of associated parties in this new entity.