Richard Tiberino, president of LR in Gard: “I will never cross the red line with the National Rally”

Richard Tibérino : “Ce n'est pas parce que le bateau coule qu'il faut renier ses idées”. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Hangover among the LR in Gard where the list carried by François-Xavier Bellamy obtained 5.09% of the votes and 6.08% in Nîmes. Assessment and issues with Richard Tiberino, president of the Gard federation Les Républicains.

"At local and national level, the RN swept away everything, the French expressed their anger", observes Richard Tibérino, boss of the Republicans in Gard, the day after the European elections. Particularly in Gard where Jordan Bardella's party won 40.42% of the votes cast. "We have come a long way with Fillon, the 4 % of Pécresse… we pay for all that", he analyzes, aware that the slope is difficult to climb back up.

The legislative conundrum

Especially since the surprise legislative elections of June 30 and July 7 do not give them much time to pull themselves together. Nor to find willing candidates to go to the pipe bust. In the last legislative elections in 2022, the LR took a small electoral slap and four out of six constituencies were won by the RN. "We know that the LR are going to lose constituencies in France, we are looking for activists who will go but who are betting more on the future…" In Gard, perhaps there will not even be an LR candidate in each of the six constituencies.

Red line

This unexpected dissolution shook him. We didn’t expect it at all. Especially since a few days ago Macron swore that he would not do so, assuring that we must not make a mistake in the election. ;. He assures him, after the legislative elections, nothing will be resolved, there will always be relative majorities.

Will there then need to be a rapprochement with the extreme right? "No ! It’s not because the boat sinks that you have to deny your ideas. We will stay straight in our boots, we will never form a stupid union! We make the same observation as the RN on certain subjects but we do not have the same solutions."

He recalls that the LR had refused to ally the RN with the Department, preferring to let the presidency slip to the PS.

Richard Tiberino admits to being from a "hard right. I have strong ideas on immigration or security but it was the RN who stole these ideas from the RPR 25 years ago."

In the ambient doldrums, he hammers it home: "We will never cross the red line with the extreme right !"