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UDI and Independents group

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UDI and Independent Deputies
Députés UDI & indépendants
UDI and Independent Deputies logo
ChamberNational Assembly
Legislature(s)14th
15th (Fifth Republic)
Foundation26 June 2012
Previous name(s)UDI group
The Constructives: Republicans, UDI, and Independents group (2017)
Groupe Les Constructifs : républicains, UDI, indépendants
Member partiesUDI
DVD
PresidentJean-Christophe Lagarde
ConstituencySeine-et-Marne's 5th
Seine-Saint-Denis's 5th
Representation
19 / 577
IdeologyLiberalism
WebsiteFacebook page

The UDI and Independent Deputies (French: Députés UDI & indépendants) was a parliamentary group in the National Assembly of France including members of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), Agir (2017–2020), and some dissidents of The Republicans (LR) after the 2017 legislative elections.

History

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On 26 June 2012, the UDI group was founded in the aftermath of the 2012 legislative elections.

In the aftermath of the legislative elections on 11 and 18 June 2017, the split between Macron-compatible "constructives" within the Republicans (LR) and the rest of the party re-emerged. On 21 June, Thierry Solère announced the creation of a new common group in the National Assembly with the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) likely to contain 18 UDI and about 15 LR deputies. The formation of two parliamentary groups on the right represented a symbolic divorce to the two threads on the right (the moderates and the hardliners) and the end of the old Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) which had been created in 2002 to unite the right and centre.[1]

On 27 June, the group announced that Franck Riester (LR) and Stéphane Demilly (UDI) would preside as co-presidents.[2] At the time of its formation on 27 June, the parliamentary group included 35 deputies, including 1 associated member.[3]

On 28 November, following the establishment of the political party Agir by LR members, the group was renamed to the UDI, Agir and Independents group (groupe UDI, Agir et indépendants), with Jean-Christophe Lagarde replacing Demilly as part of the rotating co-presidency of the group. Simultaneously, Thierry Solère, after his exclusion from the Republicans as a result of his role in the constructives and subsequent adhesion with La République En Marche!, voluntarily left for the La République En Marche group.[4]

Marine Brenier left the group to rejoin The Republicans group on 23 January 2018,[5] and the invalidation of the election of Napole Polutele on 2 February reduced the group by one more and triggered a by-election.[6]

Exclusion from The Republicans

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Following the election of Emmanuel Macron as president under the banner of En Marche! and the subsequent appointment of three right-wing personalities in prominent posts in the newly formed government – Édouard Philippe as Prime Minister, Bruno Le Maire as French Ministry for the Economy and Finance, and Gérald Darmanin as Minister of Public Action and Accounts – a parliamentary group including LR dissidents supportive of the government, "The Constructives", was formed in the National Assembly, separate from the existing LR group.[7] After the election of Thierry Solère, one of the founding LR members of the group, as a quaestor on 28 June – a post traditionally reserved for the opposition, with the group having declared itself as an opposition group regardless of its line towards the government – many party figures added to calls for the exclusion of LR "constructive" deputies and ministers, including Philippe, Le Maire, Darmanin, Sébastien Lecornu, Thierry Solère, and Franck Riester, from the party. The issue was to be raised at the meeting of political bureau of the party on 11 July,[8] with the "constructive" deputies publicly declaring that to be excluded would be of "no importance",[9] and tentative proposals for the creation of "a new political force" consisting of the "constructive" LR deputies and members of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), who formed the backbone of the group.[10]

Following the meeting of the political bureau on 11 July, Accoyer announced the creation of a "special commission" headed by Isabelle Le Callennec, Patrick Ollier, and Jean Leonetti tasked with "collecting the explanations" of Philippe, Le Maire, Darmanin, Lecornu, Solère, and Riester, and their immediate suspension from executive functions within the party, a compromise to postpone the decision on the possible exclusion of the six until the autumn in order to avoid pushing the "constructives" towards launching their own party.[11] In an interview in Le Journal du Dimanche published on 24 October, Le Maire confirmed that he was no longer a member of The Republicans and confirmed that he was an adherent of La République En Marche, thereby resolving the question of his exclusion from LR.[12] On 28 September, the five remaining received a letter from The Republicans summoning them to offer an explanation to the party for their support for Macron. On 3 October, the political bureau of the party initially voted to exclude Darmanin for "electoral dissidence" by appearing on an election list for La République En Marche in the department of Nord in the 2017 senatorial elections,[13] but quickly reversing that decision, instead granting to Darmanin and the other four threatened with exclusion an additional eight days to respond.[14] in addition, the political bureau also demanded that certain "constructive" deputies join the LR group by 30 November or else be excluded by the party.[15]

In interviews on 4 October, both Solère and Riester envisaged the possibility of creating a new party of the right and centre representing "liberal, social, European, reformist and humanist" values.[16][17] On the part of the ministers, Lecornu stated that he would appeal should he be excluded, Darmanin confirmed to have sent a response but would ultimately prefer exclusion by the party than abandonment of his political line,[18] and Philippe was indifferent about the possibility of becoming a Prime Minister not associated with a political party, saying that the "political commitment [as Prime Minister] in my opinion is well worth the [loss of the] partisan label".[19]

After no action was taken on 11 October, Accoyer stated that "the procedure will be completed on 24 October".[20] At the meeting of the LR political bureau on 24 October, 37 of 47 participants voted in favor of exclusion. However, because fewer than 63 members (a majority of the body) were present, as required by the party statutes, the vote was not considered binding, and the political bureau must convene for a second time on 31 October to vote again in order to formally exclude the five, when only a simple majority of votes will be required.[21] Darmamin, Lecornu, Solère, and Riester were formally excluded by the political bureau of the party on 31 October; Philippe was not formally excluded due to juridical reasons, though the party noted his departure.[22] On 25 November, Le Journal du Dimanche reported that Darmamin, Lecornu, and Solère joined La République En Marche,[23] while Riester, along with most LR members of the constructives and Senate group, announced the establishment of a new party, Agir, on the right.[24]

List of presidents

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Name Term start Term end Notes
Franck Riester 27 June 2017 28 November 2017 [2]
Stéphane Demilly
Franck Riester 28 November 2017 16 November 2018 [4]
Jean-Christophe Lagarde present

Historical membership

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Year Seats Change Notes
2012 Steady
2017 Increase 3 [3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Matthieu Goar (21 June 2017). "Assemblée nationale : la droite consacre son divorce". Le Monde. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b "En direct : Mélenchon élu à la tête du groupe de La France insoumise à l'Assemblée". Le Monde. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Groupe Les Constructifs : républicains, UDI, indépendants". Assemblée nationale. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b "A l'Assemblée, les Constructifs laissent place à "UDI, Agir et Indépendants"". L'Express. Agence France-Presse. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  5. ^ "La députée azuréenne Marine Brenier quitte les Constructifs et rejoint le groupe Les Républicains à l'Assemblée". Nice-Matin. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Les élections d'une députée LREM et d'un élu de Wallis et Futuna annulées". Europe 1. Agence France-Presse. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  7. ^ Paul Chaulet (20 June 2017). "L'avenir incertain des députés LR "constructifs" à l'Assemblée nationale". L'Express. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  8. ^ Matthieu Goar (30 June 2017). "Les députés " constructifs " pourraient être exclus du parti Les Républicains". Le Monde. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  9. ^ Pierre Lepelletier (7 July 2017). "Pour les "Constructifs", la menace d'exclusion des Républicains n'a "aucune importance"". Le Journal du Dimanche. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  10. ^ Pierre Lepelletier (9 July 2017). "Les Constructifs, chassés d'une part, convoités de l'autre". Le Journal du Dimanche. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  11. ^ Matthieu Goar (12 July 2017). "Ni pardon ni exclusion : Les Républicains trouvent un compromis face aux pro-Macron". Le Monde. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Bruno Le Maire a adhéré à En Marche". Le Journal du Dimanche. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  13. ^ Matthieu Goar; Lucie Soullier (4 October 2017). "Les Républicains tranchent le sort des ralliés à Macron dans la douleur et la confusion". Le Monde. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Le parti Les Républicains se ravise et accorde finalement un sursis de huit jours à Gérald Darmanin avant de l'exclure". franceinfo. Agence France-Presse. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  15. ^ Geoffrey Bonnefoy (3 October 2017). "Exclusion des LR: finalement, du répit pour Darmanin, Philippe, Solère et Riester". L'Express. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  16. ^ Matthieu Goar (4 October 2017). "Franck Riester : " Je suis affligé par la direction des Républicains "". Le Monde. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  17. ^ Elizabeth Martichoux; Marie-Pierre Haddad (4 October 2017). "Les Républicains : Solère envisage la "création d'une formation politique"". RTL. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  18. ^ Paul Chaulet (10 October 2017). "Résignés, combatifs, indifférents... Les pro-Macron attendent leur exclusion de LR". L'Express. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  19. ^ Charlie Vandekerkhove (11 October 2017). "Le pari d'Edouard Philippe, Premier ministre sans parti". BFM TV. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  20. ^ "Exclusion ou pas de LR: "la procédure sera terminée le 24 octobre", selon Accoyer". Libération. Agence France-Presse. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  21. ^ Olivier Faye; Matthieu Goar (25 October 2017). "Nouvelle tragicomédie au bureau politique des Républicains". Le Monde. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  22. ^ Matthieu Goar (31 October 2017). "Le parti Les Républicains vote l'exclusion de personnalités pro-Macron issues de ses rangs". Le Monde. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  23. ^ Christine Ollivier (25 November 2017). "Darmanin, Solère et Lecornu adhèrent à En Marche". Le Journal du Dimanche. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  24. ^ Marion Mourgue (26 November 2017). ""Agir, la droite constructive", une nouvelle force politique à droite". Le Figaro. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
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