"The right will no longer be able to win without an alliance": Éric Ciotti settles his scores in a book

I have no regrets. The time has come to say why. Éric Ciotti, MP for the 1st constituency of the Alpes-Maritimes and near-candidate for mayor of Nice, has signed a new book, published by Fayard, to be published Wednesday. A more personal, more intimate, and more scathing book than his previous ones, in which the president of the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR) looks back on June 11, 2024.

That day, the man who has been president of the Republicans since 2022 announced on television his alliance with the National Rally, in view of the legislative elections. A "big leap" , described as "dizzying" , which caused a political earthquake. Throughout the pages, "in a total spirit of freedom" , Éric Ciotti criticizes his former comrades, Laurent Wauquiez in the lead, reveals the behind-the-scenes of Christian Estrosi's entry into government in 2007, deciphers Nicolas Sarkozy's five-year term, the alliances and negotiations for a position, the behind-the-scenes of a bill.

In this book you justify your alliance with the National Rally. Do you feel like you haven't been understood?

There's a bit of that. I've been the subject of a lot of criticism, and I wanted to revisit this historical moment, which surrounded the dissolution, which led me to make this choice of rupture. I also revisit the history of the right over the last forty years and its failures. These failures are the result of a lot of renunciation, of cowardice. This book is also a window onto the future. I am convinced that for the country to recover, it needs a true right-wing policy. However, the right will no longer be able to win without a clear alliance, such as I have made with the National Rally.

You recall the missed opportunities when the right and the far right were on the verge of forming an alliance. Why didn't it work?

Because we have been living for forty years under the ideological domination of the left, which has imposed its codes. From 1983, François Mitterrand had this stratagem of fracturing the right, since he cast a form of opprobrium after the municipal election in Dreux [Eure-et-Loir] on this alliance [of the right with the extreme right] . Through his media and associative relays, he consolidated this cordon sanitaire to the point of trapping the right. And when we managed to escape, sometimes through the ballot box, in 1986, in 1993, or especially in 2007 with Nicolas Sarkozy, the exercise of power was disappointing.

Your rapprochement with Marine Le Pen has not won the support of your former party. Is this a problem of ideas or of method?

There was misunderstanding. Some tell me that I was right in substance, but the form could have been worked differently. The system resisted a lot, because I advocated a major clean sweep. They understood the danger. I'll tell you, there was considerable pressure, particularly from Laurent Wauquiez and Gérard Larcher, on MPs who agreed with me and who backed down.

You talk about your roots, your modest origins: how have they influenced your politics?

We are all shaped by personal influences. I return to my family roots, which are also ideological roots, with the commitment of my grandfather and my uncle, who gave me this love of Gaullism. I also return to my political roots. I have the feeling of never having betrayed my voters. The only ones to whom I am accountable are the voters of Nice, who showed me their confidence five times in the legislative elections, and the voters of my canton [inland and high country] , who also showed me their confidence four times.

You return to the attacks of July 14, 2016, and at the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice. Islamism, you write, "is a cancer that some have not dared to treat." Have these tragedies contributed to hardening your positions on immigration?

Of course. I will never forget that night of July 14th. Nor that man who stopped me in front of the firefighters' safety headquarters and said, "What did you do to prevent this?" with a cry of anger. That cry still haunts me. Our city is a martyred city. These tragedies, beyond the emotion and the anger, call for a reaction that breaks with a form of naivety. We cannot have harsh words and weak actions.

You criticize Christian Estrosi's management of the increase in property taxes, transport, water, but also on the post-storm Alex work...

I paint a rather harsh picture of Christian Estrosi's development, his disastrous management of public money, and his behavior toward our valleys, which I judge with extreme severity. I also mention the duplicity of his discourse with the National Front. Without the National Front, Christian Estrosi would not have begun his career. In 1988, he was elected in the 5th constituency, thanks to the votes of Max Baeza, the National Front candidate. And in 1998, for the regional elections, there was this desire for agreement—which I witnessed—with Jean-Marie Le Pen. For me, this is the quintessence of political insincerity.

You didn't use this book to announce your candidacy for Nice in 2026. Why?

I didn't want to... This book is a testament to my deep roots in Nice. It shows everything I owe to the people of Nice. It opens a national path, but also a path for Nice. This choice I made at the national level, I also made for the people of Nice. In this city, three deputies from my party [Christelle d'Intorni, Bernard Chaix, and him] were elected in July, as part of this choice. I see it as a sign of confidence.

Christian Estrosi is releasing a book at the same time as you, Ma ligne bleue , on the impact of global warming on the ocean. Have you read it?

No, he hasn't sent it to me yet. I'll probably read it. I'm always interested in the debate of ideas. During all the years we've known each other, I haven't detected Christian Estrosi's attachment to the oceans. I note the recent conversion.

I regret nothing. The time has come to say why , by Éric Ciotti, Fayard, 272 pages.