The Citizen and Republican Movement (French: Mouvement républicain et citoyen) is a left-wing political party in France. The party replaced the Citizens' Movement (Mouvement des citoyens, MDC) in 2002. The previous party was founded by Jean-Pierre Chevènement, who left the Socialist Party (PS) in 1993 due to his opposition to the Gulf War and to the Maastricht Treaty. It is a Eurosceptic and sovereigntist party that strongly opposes European integration and promotes the "multipolar order" instead; the party argues that the United States of America holds a hegemonic position over the international markets and relations, and seeks to replace that with an order where no major power would dominate. The party criticizes the European Union for its capitalist policies, and is completely opposed to proposals to centralize or federalize the European Union.

In October 2018, PS MEP Emmanuel Maurel and senator Marie-Noëlle Lienemann announced that they would leave the Socialists to ally with the MRC in a new party called Gauche républicaine et socialiste (GRS). On 12 November 2018, a group presided over by Jean-Marie Alexandre announced the reconstitution of the MDC as a party.

Ideology

The Citizen and Republican Movement is a left-wing Eurosceptic and sovereigntist party.

The Euroscepticism of the party is its trademark political position. It strongly opposes the federalization of the European Union and criticizes European integration, envisioning a sovereigntist European Union instead which would be based on intergovernmental decision-making. The party also opposes the neoliberal economic policies of the European Union, stressing that any kind of European international organization should implement regulations and restrictions on multinational corporations instead. It argues for a "Europe of Nations" and highlights the pro-capitalist direction of the European integration; the party leader Jean-Luc Laurent compared the European Union to a multinational corporation, stating that it seeks to eliminate national interests in order to further promote capitalism. The MRC also broadly cooperates with fellow anti-EU left-wing parties, including having links with far-left groups that oppose Maastrich and Amsterdam Treaties, as well as sharing electoral lists with the "plural left".

References

  • Official web site