The divergence at the head of the State is catastrophic

The atmosphere was "tense", Tuesday morning, in the Office of the UMP in the Assembly group. Several members of the majority party have denounced the François Fillon Monday call to "vote against the FN" in PS - FN duel in the second round of the cantonal elections, according to participants at the closed meeting that brings together, without the Government, every Tuesday the governing body of the majority group.

"The divergence at the head of the State is catastrophic." "I do not understand the position of François Fillon", thus launched the MP for Paris Bernard Debré. "The position of François Fillon is disastrous in the field," said Yanick Paternotte (Val-). For its part, the President of the Defence Committee Guy Teissier (Bouches), he was "extremely shocked" by the position of Prime Minister. "The only tenable position is one which was asserted Sunday night" by the leadership of the UMP in agreement with President Nicolas Sarkozy ("FN or Republican front"), for his part estimated Dominique Dord (Savoie).

Conversely, according to the same participants, several UMP deputies supported the position of the Prime Minister, as the Liberal Marc Laffineur (Maine-et-Loire), close to Jean-Pierre Raffarin, centrist Pierre Méhaignerie (Ille-et-Vilaine) and the radical Jean Leonetti (Alpes-Maritimes).

Before the UMP group, which met in the wake, François Fillon attempted to clarify his position. "There is no difference between the position of the President of the Republic and that I have expressed." No voice from the right and the centre must be on the national Front. "It is the constant position of the President of the Republic," launched the Prime Minister, according to participants at the weekly meeting, held it also closed. The head of the Government was then, according to his entourage, cited the remarks made by the head of the State in early morning in the breakfast of the majority in the Elysee Palace: "the choice is abstain or vote PS." "The only thing ruled out, is to vote FN," said Nicolas Sarkozy, according to François Fillon.

In the morning, the left has responded to this cacophony in the Executive branch. Former Secretary of the PS, François Hollande held that this "difference" between Nicolas Sarkozy and François Fillon on the question of the FN vote was "serious" and that "the logic would like that there is a separation" between the Prime Minister and the head of State.

"The regime crisis exposed", said MP PS Jean-Christophe Cambadélis turn. The President of the Republic "tried to droitiser the debate to take advantage in the presidential elections." "But this strategy combined with its catastrophic record led to a clash with the Prime Minister," he tells. For him, "the President of the Republic is on the same plane FN and PS, but this position is not the majority."

"The message addressed UMP French is deeply destructive: the PS and the FN would be two equivalent adversaries", criticised Jean-Marc Ayrault, President of the Socialist Group in the Assembly. "For us, the choices are clear", he even said in recalling the choice of the PS: "We call to vote in all the cantons for the Republican candidate best placed to dam the FN". It does not interact with Republican principles!

On the side of the far-right Jean-Marie Le Pen, the President of honour of the FN, found in the majority, it's "panic on the bridge", seeing in Nicolas Sarkozy and François Fillon "an Admiral" and "a commander" who do not agree. In the same vein, his daughter Marine referred to "a UMPS system" transformed "raft of the Medusa".

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