But what is his plan? At the end of July, Xavier Bertrand, president of Hauts-de-France, announced the creation of his movement, “We France”, whose founding congress will take place in its stronghold of Saint-Quentin, on Saturday. A timing that falls a few months after the total rout of the Republicans (LR) in the presidential election and a few months before the election of their new president. With this new tailor-made tool, the Hauts-de-France boss frees himself from uncertain primaries and offers himself a nice straight line towards 2027.
We can’t blame Xavier Bertrand for his lack of ambition, if only by going through his CV. An ambition nevertheless posed for a few years in the center of the hemicycle of the Hauts-de-France regional council. And if he swears to his great gods that he is very invested in the local field, which is objectively true, Xavier Bertrand does not hide his appetite for running for the supreme mandate: the Elysée. He also tried it, in vain, by playing the game of the Republican primaries before the last presidential election. So what better than founding your own party if you want to be sure of being involved when the time comes? “We France” is what Xavier Bertrand would have wanted to do with LR if he had had the opportunity.
Work, authority, immigration
While LR will not know on which foot to dance before electing its new president, next December, Xavier Bertrand, he is rolling out his program. That of a right which advocates “the value of effort and work”. But also that of a firmer right, which claims “French identity”, which slows down immigration and which tightens the screw around “the authority of the State”. The advocacy of “We France” also takes up the idea that a good part of the country’s problems come from its governance. “Authority, the Republic of proximity, these are themes that Xavier Bertrand put forward during the primaries and that he wants to continue to defend”, explains Marc-Philippe Daubresse, senator LR from the North.
The latter, elephant of LR, will also participate in the launch of “We France”, Saturday, with many other members of LR, in particular Bruno Retailleau or Sébastien Huyghe, boss of LR du Nord. No wonder since all the regional delegates of “We France” as well as its general secretary, Bernard Deflesselles, are members or former members of LR. “Xavier Bertrand said that, subject to the political line that the Republicans were going to adopt, he was going to remain an associated party”, specifies Marc-Philippe Daubresse. “Nothing new under the sun,” says Sébastien Huyghe who is convinced that “We France” is more of a factory of ideas than a presidential stable.
“”We, France” is finally a solemn call for unity”, is it mentioned in the “vision” of the party. Except that in the end, it will be necessary to agree on the name of the one who will be invested for the presidential election of 2027. This is where the association and the unit could be shattered: “We will see who will be elected president of LR. If it’s Retailleau, Xavier Bertrand’s project has its place with us, ”said the senator. A “we will see” shared by the president of LR du Nord: “The road is still long until 2027, very clever who can say what will happen”, loose Sébastien Huyghe.