The crisis was brewing, it ended up exploding. Éric Ciotti dismissed his number 2 Aurélien Pradié from his post this Saturday, the day after the end of the examination of the pension reform in the National Assembly. The former executive vice-president of LR pays for his successive outings against the text – dubbed by the direction of the movement – whose acme was reached on Friday evening at the Palais Bourbon. This eviction, however, comes at a time when the party and the deputy of Lot seemed to be talking in concert. A technical imbroglio is added here to the political crisis.
“His repeated positions (were) no longer in line with the values of coherence, unity and unity which must guide the Republican right”, justifies the boss of LR in a press release, criticizing a “personal adventure”. “It is an act of authority and clarification made essential by his attitude”, greets the Secretary General of LR Annie Genevard. Éric Ciotti tried to reach Aurélien Pradié on the phone to announce his decision. In the absence of an answer, he settled for an SMS. He also informed Laurent Wauquiez of this choice.
The penalty does not fall from the sky. It takes root on January 19, 2023, when LR’s new organizational chart is revealed. Third man of the LR Congress, Aurélien Pradié does not obtain the post of deputy vice-president of the party that he hoped for. He must share the dolphin seat with MEP François-Xavier Bellamy. He believes that a deal has not been respected, but accepts the function. “It will leave traces,” he says. The deputy of Lot then fully assumes his rebellious costume on the pension file. This herald of a popular right judges that Éric Ciotti forged an agreement with Élisabeth Borne too quickly and castigates an unfair reform for those who started working early.
His media outlets annoy the party leadership. From her call for social justice, she only retains a devouring ambition. “He took advantage of his position as number 2 to express himself and paved the way for other deputies to criticize the reform”, mocks an LR deputy. Éric Ciotti and the boss of the LR group Olivier Marleix are struggling to contain the Lotois, who is gaining notoriety. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne herself evokes her case during an interview at Matignon.
But what does Aurélien Pradié want? After a few changes of foot, the deputy of Lot formalizes a request: that anyone eligible for the long career scheme and who begins to work before the age of 21 can retire after having contributed 43 annuities, and not 44 years as expected for some of them in reform. The man then reaps victories, his proposal irrigates the public debate. Olivier Marleix and Éric Ciotti are committed to the subject. “They are going to carry, like the bourgeois of Calais, Pradié’s requests to Borne”, noted an LR executive at the start of the week.
Internally, annoyance rises. MEPs deplore the fact that long careers monopolize the debate. Others accuse Aurélien Pradié of falling into permanent one-upmanship in order not to vote for the reform. Like this Tuesday, February 14, where he sweeps away new concessions from Elisabeth Borne. At the same time, the Lotois shows the muscles. On Europe 1, he assures at the end of January that Éric Ciotti is not the “leader” of the right. “The government takes us for idiots”, he launches this Friday in an interview with… nice morning. “He went to look for Ciotti on his land,” notes a deputy from the region.
The explosion took place Friday at the Assembly, in a scenography that Kafka would not deny. The day starts well for Aurélien Pradié. The LR group announces that it is defending a collective amendment extending the 43 years to all long careers, after discussions with the executive. “No one should contribute more than 43 years”, announces Olivier Marleix on Twitter. Victory for Lotois! A staging is decided: Aurélien Pradié must question the government at the end of the evening, before Olivier Dussopt lays down his arms. The number 2 of LR remains cautious, but relishes. “There is a promise, I am waiting for the marriage contract. […] I was told that I pulled too much on the elastic. He didn’t crack.”
His relatives invest the hemicycle with a smile on their face. Not for a long time. Olivier Dussopt’s technical response left them wanting more. Aurélien Pradié believes that the guarantees provided by the executive do not rule out the possibility for certain people of having to contribute 44 annuities. He makes it known in session, then in front of the press. Olivier Marleix, on the other hand, judges LR’s grievances satisfied. “Pradié pretends not to understand”, fulminates a deputy. In the Pradié camp, Matignon is suspected of having worked with the group’s management to draft an amendment maintaining a contribution period of 44 years for some. “Either Marleix pretends not to understand, or he did not understand that he was had,” laughs a close friend of Lotois. Confidence reigns.
In the Assembly, the doubts expressed by Aurélien Pradié find an echo within the Nupes. The rebellious elected officials call on the executive to clarify its announcements. Here is an LR deputy applauded by the left of the left. Buried in his seat, Eric Ciotti looks bad. He is not the only one. After midnight, several deputies ask him for an act of authority towards his turbulent number 2. “The affair is more human than political, loose an LR leader. In substance, there is nothing irreconcilable. What is in question, it is a behavior.”
With this decision, Eric Ciotti exercises his first act of authority as party president. “We will no longer say that he is a Jacob bis”, smiles a deputy. Exfiltrated from management, Aurélien Pradié must speak in the coming hours. “He is removed from office because he defends the position of LR formalized in the Political Bureau and that of the group. It’s strange”, notes the deputy of Pas-de-Calais Pierre-Henri Dumont. The essentials remain: a pivotal force in the Assembly, the right failed to speak with one voice when discussing pensions. Its divisions have blurred its message and jeopardize its reconstruction. A danger more deadly than the fate of his ex-number 2.
