Judges in Paris have cleared the way for Nicolas Sarkozy to rename his rightwing UMP party Les Républicains(the Republicans) as he prepares a bid to win back the French presidency in 2017, reports The Guardian.
The choice of name had sparked furious criticism from the French left which accused Sarkozy of staging a hostile takeover of national heritage. Socialists argued that French people of all political persuasions call themselves republicans and support the values of liberty and freedom of the French republic.
They said it wasn’t fair for the right to take the monopoly of the term. The leftwing daily Libération called the proposed name-change a “semantic hold-up”.
But an urgent court challenge brought by leftwing associations under the banner “We are the Republicans”, as well 140 individuals – including a family who have the surname Républicain – has been thrown out by a Paris court.
Christophe Lèguevaques, one of the lawyers who defended the legal challenge, said: “We are all Republicans according to the first article of the French constitution ... which states that France is an indivisible republic. And here, two thirds of the population are being excluded.” The groups may consider launching an appeal.
But Sarkozy, who returned from retirement last autumn to head the rightwing opposition after losing the presidency to François Hollande in 2012, will now plough ahead with his sweeping rebranding operation. The massive marketing exercise is key to Sarkozy’s drive to turn the party into his personal war machine for a bid to reconquer the Elysée in 2017. The name Les Républicains will be put to an electronic vote of party members this week before a party congress on 30 May.
But Sarkozy, 59, faces several hurdles in his quest for the presidency, including opposition from Alain Juppé, a former prime minister and seasoned politician, who will run against him in the party’s primary race to choose its candidate next year.