The Republicans (Les Républicains, LR) is a liberal conservative political party in France, influenced heavily by Gaullism. Established on May 30, 2015, as the successor to the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), the party was initially led by Nicolas Sarkozy.
With its headquarters at 238 Rue de Vaugirard, Paris, LR has a youth wing named Les Jeunes Républicains. As of 2023, its membership has seen a decrease, with 72,251 members.
Conservatism and Neo-Gaullism: The Republicans embrace conservative values, rooted in the principles of Charles de Gaulle, focusing on national sovereignty, strong leadership, and social conservatism. They occupy a centre-right to right-wing position in the political spectrum.
Current President: Éric Ciotti, who became the leader after the 2022 leadership election.
In a controversial move, Ciotti supported an electoral alliance with the National Rally for the 2024 French legislative elections, aiming to overturn the long-standing cordon sanitaire against the far-right. However, this decision faced significant backlash within the party, leading to his temporary expulsion and reinstatement by a Paris court.
The Republicans prioritize reducing the tax burden on individuals and businesses to stimulate economic growth. They advocate for sustainable tax cuts, including a reduction in the internal consumption tax on energy products (TIPCE) and the easing of taxes on intra-family transfers.
Additionally, they propose accelerating the reduction of production taxes and lowering employers' social security contributions to enhance business competitiveness.
The party emphasizes the need for efficient public spending. They propose significant cuts in public expenditure, particularly in social benefits, which they believe should not compromise essential services like security, justice, education, and health.
By introducing reforms to unemployment compensation and simplifying social assistance payments, LR aims to reduce the overall public deficit.
The Republicans advocate for policies that support families and the middle class. They propose reintroducing universal family allowances, expanding eligibility for zero-interest loans for homeownership, and increasing tax deduction ceilings for donations to charitable organizations.
The Republicans call for increased defense spending, aiming for each EU member state to allocate at least 3% of GDP to defense. They support the idea of a European pillar within NATO and propose empowering the EU headquarters to become a permanent center of operations, enhancing military planning and control capabilities.
LR emphasizes the importance of providing substantial support to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. They advocate for increased military aid, arms, and ammunition supplies to Ukraine, criticizing the current government's efforts as insufficient.
The Republicans propose creating a European police force specialized in drug trafficking to support national police forces and attack organized networks. They also suggest reinforcing Europol, establishing a European Port Alliance, and introducing punitive measures against non-cooperative shipping companies and drug-producing third countries.
The Republicans aim to regain control over immigration by introducing annual migration ceilings, processing asylum applications at EU borders, and expelling dangerous foreigners. They propose a national referendum to transform State Medical Aid (AME) into Emergency Medical Aid (AMU) and to condition non-contributory social benefits on a minimum period of legal residence.
To give citizens a voice, LR has initiated a shared-initiative referendum procedure. This includes measures like setting a minimum residence requirement for social benefits and replacing AME with AMU, focusing on urgent medical care.
The Republicans identify the need to resolve the severe housing shortage in France. They propose breaking down the ban on renting thermal strainers, introducing tax credits for home renovations, and creating a private lessor's status to encourage rental housing investments.
Additionally, they advocate for simplifying leases and protecting landlords from dishonest tenants.
LR proposes several measures to support homeownership, including a tax credit on loan interest for primary residences, ending the lifetime lease in social housing, and allowing additional duty-free donations for real estate projects.
The Republicans emphasize an ecology of incentives rather than punishment. They propose introducing a carbon tax credit to support the thermal renovation of homes, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
They also advocate for a regulatory break in housing and construction at both the European and national levels to balance environmental goals with economic and social needs.
European Defense Cooperation: LR supports closer European defense cooperation, proposing the creation of a European Defense Fund (EDF) exclusively for European companies and tripling its resources. They also suggest reserving European Defense Agency (EDA) orders for European companies to bolster the defense industry.
The Republicans call for a comprehensive reform of the European migration policy, emphasizing the need for stronger external border controls, a list of "safe countries of origin," and a European Council-led approach to set numerical targets for reducing illegal immigration and increasing expulsions. The Republicans prioritize a balanced approach to economic reform, national security, immigration control, housing, environmental sustainability, and European cooperation.
They aim to implement practical policies that enhance fiscal responsibility, support families and businesses, strengthen national defense, and regain control over immigration while promoting social cohesion and environmental sustainability.
The Les Républicains is also known as The Republicans, Lr, Lr (Les Républicains).