Deprived of climbing Sainte-Baume, the National Rally is counting on national momentum

The National Rally, stopped dead in its tracks?

This Saturday morning, Franck Allisio, MP for Bouches-du-Rhône and leader of the far-right group on the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regional council, was unable to reach the Sainte-Marie Madeleine cave, at the top of the Sainte-Baume, where he has been gathering his political family for the past three years . The reason? A hiking ban due to the risk of fire, reinforced by a strong mistral wind. "They cut us off from the climb, but it's not a big deal," said the Le Pen organizer, wearing sneakers. Before taunting his arch-enemies: "It proves we're not LFI. We respect the rules."

Alongside him, around fifty elected officials, including RN deputies Frank Giletti (Var) and Lionel Tivoli (Alpes-Maritimes), made the trip just for the photos and the France 3 camera. Before joining the main body of the group (120 people) invited to a country lunch at the Allisio clan's family residence in Plan-d'Aups, where the political speeches of the moment will be served. With a burning topic, François Bayrou's vote of confidence in the National Assembly on September 8. Like Marine Le Pen and all the other RN parliamentarians, Franck Allisio will vote against it, regardless of what emerges from the discussions planned with the parties this week. "It's the end of Bayrou's reign, who has committed harakiri himself," he comments, while castigating the Prime Minister's "open bar policy" on immigration.

Exit the "black sheep"?

He is waiting for another dissolution so that Jordan Bardella can take up residence at Matignon. Hoping that "the Macronists, the LR and LFI do not repeat the same trick of withdrawals and other little schemes," says the Marseille MP, who senses "an exasperation among the French." "The national investiture commission has already taken the lead," he adds, while his party had recruited several "black sheep " among the candidates for the early legislative elections, sparking just as much controversy a year earlier. "Once in power, we will not make the French lose a single euro, starting by not increasing taxes and even reducing VAT," says Franck Allisio, who also deplores the recovery of the September 10 blocking movement by the far left.

Also a candidate in the Marseille municipal elections, he questions the credibility of the latest Ifop poll, commissioned by Les amis de Martine Vassal, placing him behind the latter, president of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis (right) and Benoît Payan (left), currently in office. He, mayor, would like to restore to his hometown "the influence of a century ago." And is counting on the other RN candidates in the municipal elections to swing the Metropolis and the Region. "We expect dozens of victories in 2026," he predicts without further details. Starting with Toulon, coveted by RN MP Laure Lavalette, absent this Saturday after "a long evening at the fig festival" ? Or Nice, where their UDR ally Éric Ciotti is officially in the running ?

The surprise of the vote of confidence

Among those present, Var MP Frank Giletti, warned the day before of the hiking ban, kept his street shoes on. The announcement of the confidence vote? "It surprised us all!" he confided. And what about afterward? "If the party is dissolved again, it will be another rise of the RN to power," predicted the president of the Var RN federation. "After the spectacle the left put on in the Assembly, it can't govern." This was a way of immediately rejecting the ambitions of Olivier Faure, who announced he was ready to replace François Bayrou. In the process, he pointed the finger at "all those who are making alarmist statements" about a possible lack of a 2026 budget, believing that these are "old recipes." "I haven't met a single person who asked me not to censor the government," Frank Giletti insisted.

Another MP in the party, Lionel Tivoli, believes that the vote of confidence will allow "a clarification of the position of the Republicans who say they oppose Macron's party, but who will vote for it. Especially Bruno Retailleau." The RN MP from the Alpes-Maritimes also wants to believe in municipal elections "driven by the national campaign" and the "unprecedented establishment" of his party in the region: "We have demonstrated that we are locally elected representatives." Without even having to march that day.