Les Républicains Leadership Contest Descends Into Public Crisis
Laurent Wauquiez's team suspends participation in Haute Autorité meetings, accusing the body of partiality, as tensions with Bruno Retailleau's camp escalate over procedural disputes.
- The Haute Autorité validated the candidacies of Laurent Wauquiez and Bruno Retailleau, publishing parrainage counts of 997 and 2,235, respectively.
- Wauquiez's team disputes the published figures, claiming they submitted 7,150 parrainages, while Retailleau's team accuses Wauquiez of inflating his numbers.
- A decision to publish election results by department, supported by Retailleau's team, has been criticized by Wauquiez's camp over concerns about cost and potential local tensions.
- Wauquiez's team announced they are suspending participation in Haute Autorité meetings, citing a lack of credibility and perceived bias in the body’s decisions.
- Both candidates are set to address the LR youth campus in Épinal as the party grapples with deepening divisions and questions about its internal governance.
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