Lhe Paris judicial court, seized by Eric Ciotti, invalidated Friday his exclusion from the presidency of the Republicans.
The court, ruling in summary proceedings (emergency procedure), “orders the suspension of the effects of the two definitive exclusion decisions pronounced against Eric Ciotti on June 12 and 14”, indicated the court, specifying that this suspension was only valid “until the rendering of a final decision on the merits”.
The lower court must be seized “within eight days” by “the most diligent party”, indicated the court, failing which “the suspension measure ordered will be null and void”.
The court also refused to rule on the request for a ban on the use of logos and brands belonging to Eric Ciotti’s Les Républicains association.
Eric Ciotti, excluded on Wednesday and then this Friday from the presidency of LR by the political office of this movement, after his announcement of an alliance with the National Rally, had taken proceedings in summary proceedings to contest this measure.
The court’s decision comes as candidacies for the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7 must be submitted by Sunday to the prefecture.
“Putsch”
The lawyers of Mr. Ciotti, absent at the hearing, asked that the deputy for Alpes-Maritimes be able to access the party offices and thus have control over investiture decisions.
“The statutes (of LR) provide that the request for sanction is registered by the president. Did the president (Eric Ciotti) request his own exclusion? I don’t believe it,” his lawyer Philippe Prigent argued at the hearing.
According to the lawyer, the political bureau could only be convened at the request of Mr. Ciotti or that of “at least a quarter of the national advisors” of the party. “The political bureau met in defiance of the texts,” he argued.
“I have never pleaded a case where there were so many irregularities in twenty-four hours,” he stressed.
“Nothing allows François-Xavier Bellamy (vice-president of LR) and Annie Genevard (general secretary) to lead the party. There is no legal basis for usurping power and making decisions (…) It is particularly serious,” he added, denouncing a “putsch”.
Me Philippe Torre, lawyer for LR tendency Ciotti, assured that “no statutory provision allowed a political office to appoint a person as interim president”.
LR’s other lawyer, Me Benoît Verger, who defends the opposing party, estimated that by announcing an electoral alliance with the National Rally in view of the early legislative elections, Eric Ciotti had made a “lonely” decision which sowed “astonishment” within his training.
The lawyer is categorical: Mr. Ciotti “did not have the statutory power” to make such an alliance decision with the RN.
The deputy for Alpes-Maritimes committed “a serious error” and that is why he was “sanctioned”, explained Me Verger. Ciotti “violated the statutes” of his own party by changing his “political orientation,” he insisted.
While its leaders are torn apart, LR continues the inaugurations of its candidates in the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7.
In a press release released Thursday evening, the party assured that it had already designated more than 200 candidates, including the 59 outgoing deputies who did not follow their president.
For his part, the president of the RN, Jordan Bardella, announced Friday that “there will be a common “RN-Republican” candidate in 70 constituencies “during the first round on June 30.
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