French Republicans moved swiftly on Wednesday to expel the party's leader Eric Ciotti from their ranks, after he called for an electoral alliance between its candidates and Marine Le Pen's far-right forces in parliamentary elections later this month.
French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to call snap elections has triggered a scramble among parties to form alliances.
Mr Macron spoke on Wednesday to call on centrist parties running in the legislative elections to unite against the rise of the National Rally party, formerly led by Ms Le Pen, and now headed by Jordan Bardella.
“I hope that when the time comes, men and women of goodwill who will have been able to say no to the extremes will come together … will put themselves in a position to build a shared, sincere project that is useful to the country,” said Mr Macron.
Xavier Bertrand, a leading light of Les Republicains, said deposing Mr Ciotti was the way to keep the party of former presidents Charles de Gaulle and Jacques Chirac united. “Today we wanted to cleanse our honour,” he said.
Mr Ciotti had shut the doors of the headquarters to the meeting of the leadership and afterwards said he remained president of the party.
For historic reasons, political parties in France have always opposed alliances with National Rally, which was founded by Ms Le Pen's father, Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen.
National Rally had welcomed Mr Ciotti's proposal.
“Let us join forces to fight against migratory chaos, restore authority and order, and support the purchasing power of the French,” wrote Mr Bardella on X.
Mr Macron's decision to call for snap elections has also caught members of his party cold, with some holding close aides of the President responsible.
It was widely reported that Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, one of the most popular politicians associated with Mr Macron, learnt of the election plan shortly before the President made his announcement in a televised statement on Sunday night.
Mr Attal then tried to dissuade Mr Macron, asking him to accept his resignation instead, according to media reports.
“I can be the fall guy,” Mr Attal reportedly told Mr Macron, who refused, telling the Prime Minister that he needed him on the campaign trail.
Mr Macron's calculation, which he had arrived at with close advisers over several weeks, was that it was better to blindside his opponents with an immediate election than wait for inevitable conservative no-confidence motions later in the year when he would be weaker.
Mr Attal, who at 34 became France's youngest prime minister when he took office in January, has been mooted as a successor to Mr Macron in 2027, but now risks losing his post to the National Rally's Mr Bardella, who is 28.
Calling for snap elections, which has happened five times in France in almost seven decades, is a risky gamble for Mr Macron.
But despite his group's low score at the European election on Sunday, he hopes to convince the French to show support for his pro-business, pro-Ukraine, liberal views.
If he fails and the National Rally scores high again, he will likely be forced into appointing Mr Bardella as prime minister.
