Regional election pact between Macron's party and conservatives in south unravels

A pact between President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party and France's biggest conservative party to form an alliance against the far-right in a southern battleground in June's regional elections unravelled on Friday. The collapse of the agreement, which fell apart after an internal fight within the Les Republicains (LR) party, means a crowded field on the political right in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, an outcome likely to suit far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

The pact had shown a recognition within Macron's La Republique en Marche (LaRem) that it was too weak to win some regions on its own, but also signalled the president's intent to divide Les Republicains ahead of a 2022 presidential vote. "The conditions for an alliance can no longer be met," Sophie Cluzel, head of LaRem's ticket in the region, told France Info radio. "The presidential majority will be represented in the first round."

Arranged by local Les Republicains power-brokers, the pact drew a furious response from senior party stalwarts. They later told their candidate, Renaud Muselier, that no government member or LaRem lawmaker could feature on the party ticket. The feud laid bare the deep rifts running through the party that have prevented it from rallying behind a single figurehead a year out from the 2022 election.

The mayors of the southern cities of Nice and Toulon quit Les Republicains over the row. "A conservative party in internal conflict is not a vote winner," wrote Eurointelligence in a briefing note.

Those within Les Republicains who argued against the deal fear local alliances with the LaRem would further weaken their credibility as an alternative to Macron and help the president eat into their voter base. Meanwhile, opinion polls have shown Le Pen's Rassemblement National on course to win the first round of the regional vote in Provence-Alpes-Cotes d'Azur.

Winning one or more regional power bases would give Le Pen a platform she has not previously had to challenge in the 2022 presidential election. Voter surveys show it is Le Pen who will most likely square off against Macron in a presidential run-off. "The anti-Le Pen fight...remains engulfed in the ruthless rivalry of her rivals. The president of the Rassemblement National is taking advantage," Le Monde wrote in an editorial.

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