Laure-Agnès Caradec leaves LR to join Éric Ciotti's UDR

Laure-Agnès Caradec is turning the page on her time with the Republicans (LR). The president of the Republicans in the Bouches-du-Rhône department announced on Tuesday, May 12, her departure from the party to join the Union of the Right for the Republic, the movement founded by Éric Ciotti. This is a significant defection in a department that is strategic for the right, where tensions between factions have steadily increased since the split orchestrated by the former president of the Republicans.

A right wing without compromise

In a message posted on X, the elected official justified her choice by her desire to defend an uncompromising right wing. This statement sounds like a thinly veiled criticism of the current leadership of the Republicans (LR), accused by Ciotti's associates of making numerous compromises with Macron's party. Caradec's departure is part of a series of defections that are weakening the traditional Republican apparatus, already weakened by internal divisions and disappointing election results.

This endorsement strengthens Éric Ciotti's strategy, which relies on local roots to establish his party as a credible alternative on the right. The Bouches-du-Rhône, a key territory where regional political balances are determined, becomes a new battleground for self-proclaimed heirs of Gaullism. The UDR thus gains valuable local support just months before major elections.