Friday, November 15, the news was received rather coldly in the corridors of city hall. Freddy Gueudin, known as the former Republican delegate for the constituency, revealed that he had joined Eric Ciotti's team. He was thus announced as the referent in Lot-et-Garonne for the Union of Rights for the Republic, responsible for coordinating the party's militant actions in the department.
By joining Éric Ciotti, the fifty-year-old, a construction executive, thus becomes closer, on the political spectrum, to his wife, Sylvie Gueudin, an activist in the National Rally for twenty years and second on the municipal electoral list behind Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne , in 2019. The couple, who arrived from the North in 2013, quickly became involved in politics, alongside, at the time, Renaud Leygue; she, already, within the National Rally.
His sharp turn to the right does not change anything, according to the statements of the person concerned, in “my desire to work within the municipal council for my fellow citizens” (“La Dépêche du midi”). This wishful thinking was not followed by the municipal majority, far from approving his new political aspirations.
Saturday, November 16, according to a press release from the municipality, Freddy Gueudin was received by Mayor Gérard Régnier, to remind him of “the importance of the solidarity of the municipal collective, which leaves no room for individualistic behavior and partisan positions, in contradiction with the values and work of the municipal majority team.”
Response to opposition
After a few days of reflection, the mayor decided to officially withdraw his duties as responsible for monitoring the works and to henceforth consider him a member of the opposition.
The left-wing municipal opposition wasted no time in drawing out its weapons, reacting on Sunday to the new aspirations of the municipal councilor, via a joint press release from Villeneuve en commun and Ensemble pour Villeneuve. She expressed her questions regarding the political line of the municipal majority, which has always affirmed its belonging to the center right, while one of its elected officials moved much further to the right.
Gérard Régnier also spoke out on this subject, saying that he was “deeply shocked by the exploitation made by some of the individual choice made by Freddy Gueudin. False information spread on social networks could suggest that there is a gap between the political line of the municipal majority and the ideas of the extreme right. »
The ousting of Freddy Gueudin should end the debate. He is the third name to be removed from the majority's list. Estelle Henault-Blineau, who was a citizenship delegate, was dismissed from her position following her support for Jérôme Cahuzac during the legislative campaign a year ago. Xavier Mars left on his own, after the affair of the takeover of the Théâtre des 13 vents, revealed in our columns last May.
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