It’s the return of the “card machine”. In a month, Les Républicains members will appoint their new boss from among the three candidates in the running: the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes Eric Ciotti, the president of the senators Bruno Retailleau and the deputy of Lot Aurélien Pradié. And activists had until Thursday to update their dues, a necessary condition to vote in Congress in early December.
The three aspirants have multiplied their trips to the federations in recent months, in order to reach as many supporters as possible. But in parallel, another battle is fought within the HQs. The objective, “to make the map”. Understand: push your supporters to (re)join the party as much as possible. A strategy which makes it possible to ensure a cushion of favorable votes, not negligible at the start of the first round.
Files of popular activists
“Since the end of the summer, we have been trying to renew former members. We take our listings, circo by circo, and we call, we call…”, assures Eric Pauget, deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes. “We are redoubling our efforts in the territories where the bulk of our troops are. In the south of course, but also in Rhône-Alpes, at Laurent Wauquiez, or in the Grand Est”, adds this support from Eric Ciotti.
Great challenges call for great means. In the Retailleau camp, a team of 300 people is dedicated to this task, with already more than 30,000 calls made to activists. “We bet a lot on phoning, starting very early, especially in the departments that are favorable to us”, recognizes a close friend of the senator from Vendée. The files of activists, which include their contact details, have thus become a particularly sought-after commodity… and sometimes jealous. “We had the experience: when an activist joins, he receives an email from Aurélien within three days. [Pradié], who remained secretary general of the movement”, whistles this support from Retailleau. The senator’s team notably used the files of Force Républicaine, the former micro-party of François Fillon.
“Manoeuvres” during the LR primary
There’s nothing illegal about the card’s strategy, but it’s sometimes abused. “To inflate the figures, you insert your wife, your parents, your grandparents, all your entourage…”, quips a federation official. “There are two ways to make maps. Use old files to contact members who have distanced themselves and try to convince them to come back. That’s the easiest, and it’s quite healthy, ”says Julien Aubert, former deputy for Vaucluse. “And then, in the feds who have more money [l’adhésion simple coûte 30 euros par personne]some may use associations or communities to recruit activists…”
Last February, Release revealed the “fraudulent maneuvers” of several candidates during the right-wing primary at the end of 2021, while Les Républicains had gone from around 80,000 members at the end of September to nearly 149,000 in November. The newspaper’s investigation revealed the presence in the party files of “fictitious members, deceased or having followed instructions, and even a dog”, the famous Douglas. Enough to “question the sincerity of the ballot”, according to the daily. “The two finalists in the primary were not those who had made the best campaign, but those who had made the most cards,” adds the federation manager.
For the upcoming election, at the beginning of December, the party should have around 80,000 militants, whereas they were only 48,000 last June. Again causing concern?
“We will remain vigilant”
An LR deputy, he puts it into perspective. “The party will have a month to check if the new memberships are in the nails”. And adds, a bit disillusioned: “There is not the climate of tension of last year, where each side wanted to make cards at all costs. We also feel that no one will dare to cross this line, ”tempers the deputy from Aisne, close to Xavier Bertrand. “We believe in the good faith of everyone. Making cards for friends, family, even chi, the interim LR president defends the means of control put in place. “All security assurances have been provided to candidates,” she said, citing in particular the limitation to four registrations maximum by credit card or identity checks. “We are working hard to ensure that the 80,000 members are in good standing and avoid outlandish attempts,” adds Annie Genevard.
Still, Bruno Retailleau had had more doubts in mid-September. The candidate then wrote to the president of LR, Annie Genevard, and to the High Authority to ask for “solid guarantees” on the fairness of the ballot, fearing “false membership”. “We have this doubt and we will remain vigilant, confirms one of his relatives. Can we, for example, go through the final list of voters to check that 15 people do not have the same address? » Contacted by 20 minutes, the interim president LR defends the means of control put in place. “All security assurances have been provided to candidates,” she said, citing in particular the limitation to a maximum of four registrations by credit card or identity checks. “We are already working hard to ensure that the 80,000 members are in good standing and to avoid outlandish attempts,” adds Annie Genevard.
An LR deputy, he puts it into perspective. “The party will have a month to check if the new memberships are in the nails”. And adds, a bit disillusioned: “There is not the climate of tension of last year, where each side wanted to make cards at all costs. We also feel that this election does not transcend the crowds… ”