The Popular Right


The Popular Right is a recognized movement within the Les Republicains. It was founded in 2010 as the Collectif parlementaire de la Droite populaire, a caucus of UMP parliamentarians which now includes 26 deputies. The Droite populaire seeks to emphasize issues such as national identity, security and immigration.

History and ideology

The movement was created as an informal parliamentary caucus within the then-governing UMP in June 2010 by Lionnel Luca, Richard Mallié, Jean-Paul Garraud and Thierry Mariani - all members of the UMP's right-wing. It was later joined by other parliamentarians, most of them from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France, a region where the far-right National Front is very strong.
The movement's charter focused on six themes: nation, patriotism, free enterprise, family policy, security, responsible management of public finances, and French prestige abroad. Emphasizing some of the most right-wing and law-and-order aspect of former President Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 platform, it focused much of its actions on immigration and security. It has strongly opposed foreigners' right to vote in local elections.
It has often created controversy because of its radical positions on certain issues, for example when it asked for references to gender to be removed from school textbooks. Some of its members have also indicated their support for local alliances with the far-right National Front, raising controversy within the UMP and on the left.
The group was badly hurt by the 2012 legislative elections, after which its weight in the French National Assembly shrank from 63 to 26 deputies. 37 of its members lost reelection. As it restructured itself as a motion for the November 2012 congress, leaders such as Thierry Mariani worried about the rise of similar motions such as The Strong Right.

Weight within the UMP

As a motion for the November 2012 congress, the Droite Populaire did badly, placing fifth with 10.87% of the motions vote, barely enough to qualify as a recognized movement in the UMP.

Members

Deputies