Will the boss of LR deputies Damien Abad face an LR candidate against him in the 5th constituency of Ain, of which he is the outgoing deputy? The question is not at this time definitively settled by the LR authorities while Damien Abad, against whom LREM has not invested any candidate, asked for 48 hours of delay last Tuesday to "clarify his situation". Clearly: that Damien Abad agrees to say clearly whether he will sit with the LR group or with the LREM group in the National Assembly and whether he would accept a ministerial post or not, if this was offered to him by the executive.

The 48 hours have passed and Damien Abad has not yet clarified his position. “When there is a doubt, it is that there is no doubt”, quipped this Thursday morning the president of LR, Christian Jacob, on France Info who no longer seems to believe much in the loyalty of Damien Abad. "It's true that it was surprising to ask for 48 hours because this kind of thing, we know, if we want to go or not," he added. "But it's up to him to make his decision. It is up to him to say if he wants to join the majority or the government, or not (…) He must say things clearly today, ”he nuanced, seeming to leave a few hours of respite by more to Damien Abad.

“We cannot betray our voters and walk them around like this”

For his part, Julien Martinez, a very close friend of Xavier Bertrand and opposition municipal councilor in Oyonnax, is in the starting blocks to present his candidacy, on behalf of LR, against Damien Abad. He has an appointment this Friday at 11 a.m. at the Ain prefecture to submit his candidacy as well as that of a substitute, with the benevolence of the LR authorities.

“We cannot betray our voters and walk them around like Abad walks them around. He can't hide until the last deadline like he does. For me, there is a breach of trust”, explains Julien Martinez who evokes a “question of principle” to present himself now against Damien Abad. The one who is also an LR national councilor does not “see what could now” prevent him from presenting himself. What if Abad clarified the situation in the coming hours by committing to stay with LR? "It would be a 360 degree turn," observes Julien Martinez, who hardly seems to believe it. And who will plead with the LR authorities, in this case, to maintain his candidacy against the outgoing deputy. "Question of honor," he said.