Eric Ciotti, the leader of the French Christian Democrats, has announced plans to negotiate an alliance with Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National (RN) for the upcoming elections.
This decision represents a historic break from tradition and has sparked intense debates within the party.
According to an article in Die Welt, Ciotti stated that the Republicans will not field candidates against RN in certain constituencies to improve their chances against the presidential camp of Emmanuel Macron and the left-wing alliance.
Marine Le Pen, the leader of RN, welcomed this as a "courageous decision."
She said it would dismantle the "cordon sanitaire"—the decades-long exclusion of right-wing nationalists from government coalitions.
This opening of the Christian Democrats towards the right-wing nationalists is unprecedented and contradicts the previous political tradition in France.
Ciotti's announcement has faced sharp criticism within the Republicans. Key party members like Gérard Larcher and Bruno Retailleau are calling for his resignation. Outsiders such as Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin have also condemned the decision.
Despite this criticism, Ciotti sticks to his position and stresses that his mandate lies in the hands of the party members.
This political maneuver has shaken the French political landscape.
President Macron, who had originally sought an alliance with the Christian Democrats to contain the RN, must now develop new strategies to secure his position.
