While the pundits of his camp urge him very frankly to vote for pension reform, which he refuses to do as it stands, the LR deputy remains firm. “I don’t give in to any threats,” he told franceinfo.
At Les Républicains, the days pass and are alike. On the one hand, the pundits of the party repeat that they will vote government pension reform for the sake of “consistency” and “accountability”. On the other, about fifteen deputies remain opposed to the executive’s project, as it stands.
For the right, the risk of divisions could not be more concrete. And dangerous for a political family that is coming out of three defeats in the presidential elections of 2012, 2017 and 2022. The last was the toughest, Valérie Pécresse not crossing the 5% mark.
“Courage in politics is to hold a constant line”
For a long time, the right stalled. “We are not a barracks,” said Éric Ciotti to ease disagreements over pensions within the formation he chairs. Now the tone has changed. The various figures of the formation took turns in the media this Wednesday to put pressure on Aurélien Pradié, figurehead of the recalcitrant deputies.
Bruno Retailleau, boss of LR senators, fired the first arrows at Lotois, who was his opponent with Éric Ciotti for the party presidency in December.
“Courage in politics is to hold a line of consistency”, he reframed, while the right defended the postponement of the legal retirement age to 65 during the last two presidential elections. . The elected representative of Vendée did not want to be in “wooden language”, and proved it in the process, simply believing that “the right” can “die from its contradictions”.
Later, Gérard Larcher, head of the Senate, issued an ultimatum to Aurélien Pradié, declaring on France Inter: “If he really feels part of our political family, well he must at some point make the decision to vote for the law” .
“I don’t give in to any threat”
In case the message has not passed, Éric Ciotti has given a ladle on Sud Radio. “Aurélien Pradié will vote for the reform”, assured the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes, as if his colleague had no other choice.
In hollow, the question of a maintenance or not within LR of the deputies who would vote against the reform of the pensions and would register possibly in cantilever of the line defended by the boss of the party. All the more legitimate question for Aurélien Pradié, who is co-number two on rue de Vaugirard.
In the meantime, the war of positions continues. This Thursday, Aurélien Pradié makes the blows on franceinfo. “I don’t give in to any threats,” said the 30-something, before tackling:
“Who could put pressure on Les Républicains deputies by accusing them of not voting for a Macronist text?”
The parliamentarian “assumes the standoff” and repeats the condition on which he and those he represents will vote for the reform: to be assured that people who started working before the age of 21 do not contribute more than 43 annuities. An amendment will be presented to this effect by LR during the debates in the National Assembly.
“If the right is there, it is because it has lost the people”
Elisabeth Borne took the lead this weekend, announcing in the JDD that the long career schemes concern “those who started working between the ages of 20 and 21”. But this movement of Matignon did not convince.
“How could a worker who starts at 20 years old validate 5 quarters before turning 21 as required by the long career system?”, Lambasted MP Aurélien Pradié on Twitter. He demands that any quarter validated before the age of 21 be taken into account.
In the background, the right is fishing on the line. On RTL, Bruno Retailleau said: “For me to be on the right is not only to be a little less on the left than the left”. And tackled in stride: “What needs do the French have of a right who would say tomorrow ‘work more, it’s horrible’?”.
On franceinfo, Aurélien Pradié, who wants to be the cantor of a “popular right” answers: “If the right is there, it is because it has lost the people”.
