France’s Center-Right Primaries Reveal Stark Divisions Between Frontrunners
The presidential primaries of France’s main center-right party, the Republicans (LR), officially began after the final list of seven candidates was announced on September 21. The elections, which are the first open primaries in the history of the French mainstream right, will be held on November 20 and 27. Any citizen who pays €2 and signs a pledge stating they adhere to “the values of the right and center” will be eligible to vote.
The current frontrunner is 71-year-old former Prime Minister Alain Juppé, a veteran politician first nominated to the Cabinet thirty years ago. Once the least popular politician in France for his labor reforms of the 1990s and his conviction of abuse of public funds in 2004, he successfully re-launched his political career as Defense and Foreign Minister under Sarkozy’s presidency. Currently polling as France’s favorite politician, Juppé is mainly admired for his experience and moderate stance on issues such as immigration, French identity, and European affairs. Juppé’s main rival is former President Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012). Sarkozy left retirement in 2014 to be elected president of the center-right party and only recently started his official campaign. Sarkozy’s agenda has mainly focused on issues of national identity, immigration, and terrorism.
Distantly polling at the third and fourth positions are former Agriculture Minister and self-branded “candidate of the renewal” Bruno le Maire and former Prime Minister François Fillon. Fillon hopes to model his economic policies after former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who significantly diminished government spending. Three other candidates of lesser popularity complete the list.
Most candidates agree on a set of economic reforms, such as the end of the 35-hour workweek, the end of wealth tax, and large cuts in public spending. The beginning of the campaign has therefore been dominated by issues of national identity and terrorism, with stark differences between leading candidates.
Sarkozy has called for constitutional reforms in order to permit both the preventive detention of people suspected of having ties with terrorist organizations and the creation of special courts for terrorists. He supports a total assimilation of immigrants into French culture, criticizing a “tyranny of the minorities.” Sarkozy has also advocated for a ban on wearing the the Muslim veil in universities and private enterprises, as well as the end of pork-free substitution meals in public schools.
Juppé strongly rejected those proposals, arguing that he does not want to create a “French Guantanamo” or change the Constitution. Opposing further bans on religious clothing or practice, he has defended a more inclusive integration model he termed “Happy Identity.” This model would permit immigrants to maintain ties with their original culture and enrich the French culture with it.
Sarkozy’s recent controversial statements have evoked sharp criticism from many in the French press, with news website France 24 questioning if Sarkozy was attempting to imitate Donald Trump’s strategy in order to seduce far-right voters. “One only has to look at the details of Le Pen’s program to realize that Sarkozy’s proposals will never be enough for far-right voters,” expert Yves Camus told France 24 on September 16.
Sarkozy’s strategy may have proven successful, however, as a recent poll showed him polling at 33 percent, while Juppé’s support fell slightly to 37 percent. Alain Juppé would still win in the runoff round, however.
The results of the upcoming primaries seem particularly important, as the the Republicans’ nominee is largely predicted to win the next presidential election of May 2017. President Hollande’s abysmal ratings and Marine Le Pen’s difficulties to reach to moderate voters have put the center-right candidate in a favorable position to win the election.