The Republicans (France)

The Republicans (French: Les Republicains, abbreviated LR) is a conservative political party in France, partially inspired by the tradition of Gaullism. It was formed in 2015 as the reformation of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), which had been established in 2002 under President Jacques Chirac. The rename was proposed by Nicolas Sarkozy after he won the UMP presidency in November 2014 and was approved by the party membership in May 2015. The UMP had been one of the two major parties of the Fifth Republic alongside the Socialist Party, but the party was later eclipsed by the National Rally and Renaissance. Its 2017 presidential candidate, Francois Fillon, placed third in the first round, and after the 2022 legislative election it lost half its seats while remaining the largest party in the Senate. It is a member of the Centrist Democrat International and the European People's Party.