How will the congress of the Republicans take place?

To appoint their presidential candidate, activists Republicans have opted for a congress. Le Figaro sets out the instructions for this process.

The congress will be organized in two rounds. Activists will be called upon to vote electronically for the first time on December 1 and 2, then a second time on December 3 and 4. The results will be known shortly.

Unlike an open primary, only up-to-date members will be allowed to vote. To allow as many people as possible to participate, memberships will be possible until November 16th.

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It was the president of Île-de-France, Valérie Pécresse, who opened the ball for applications this summer. The elected official was then joined by the mayor (LR) of La Garenne-Colombes Philippe Juvin, the deputy (LR) of the Alpes-Maritimes Éric Ciotti, and the former negotiator (LR) of Brexit Michel Barnier.

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This Monday, October 11, the ex-LR president of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand also assured of his participation. Declared a presidential candidate since March, the elected official had, until then, refused to submit to any process of deciding.

Tipped to be candidates, Bruno Retailleau and Laurent Wauquiez have on their side preferred to abstain. The two figures on the right did not wish to further divide their political family.

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The priority was, for everyone, to ask for the support of the party before the date of October 13. The putative suitors now have until November 2 to file a file with the 250 sponsorships of elected officials distributed in 30 departments, as well as a commitment to support the winner of the congress.

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At this stage, Valérie Pécresse has already transmitted all of her sponsorships. The approach should not pose a problem for Xavier Bertrand and Michel Barnier either – who already claims the support of 57 parliamentarians. An unknown remains, however, on the side of the other contenders. “It has been going very well for ten days. It's a tedious task, but there's nothing to worry about, ”says those around Eric Ciotti. “Philippe Juvin continues to work. It's a job because he's not full-time like the others, but he has confidence, ”also assures a close friend of the city councilor.

Not all terms have been finalized yet. The organization of debates between the candidates must for example be decided soon in the political office. The President of the Senate Gérard Larcher was in favor of it, considering that it was necessary to "enlighten the French". But the subject is not unanimous within the party. Between now and the Congress, the candidates should also continue to deploy on the ground, to meet the militants.

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