The French right-wing party Republicans' leader Éric Ciotti has been dismissed by the party during a crisis meeting.
The reason is that Ciotti has opened up for direct and close cooperation with the far-right party National Rally in the upcoming parliamentary election.
But Ciotti refuses to resign and is ready to fight.
The Republicans will present candidates who are clear and independent for the French public, announced Annie Genevard, a member of parliament who participated in the party meeting where Ciotti was dismissed by a unanimous party board.
Genevard is expected to take over the leadership of the Republicans, likely in a shared leadership, reports the French news agency AFP.
Ciotti responded to the decision by challenging his party colleagues to a fight.
He wrote on the social media platform X that the crisis meeting was a flagrant breach of the party's statutes, and that the decision could have legal consequences.
"I am and remain the chairman of our political party, elected by the members!", wrote Ciotti.
Closed party headquarters
The once great and governing conservative party Republicans seemed to implode on Wednesday after internal struggles.
The split was caused by Ciotti's announcement that the Republicans would initiate cooperation with the far-right party National Rally (RN) and its leading politician Marine le Pen. A decision that came ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election called by President Emmanuel Macron after the European Championship.
But leading politicians within the Republicans went mad over the announcement of a right-wing shift towards the xenophobic RN.
Before the meeting where Ciotti was dismissed, he had on Wednesday chosen to close down the Republicans' party headquarters in Paris and lock the doors to opponents within the party. Ciotti motivated the decision by saying that "threats had been received" and that he had to "protect the staff".
"Throw him out"
But opposition figures within the party who demanded Ciotti's immediate resignation had already made up their minds:
Ciotti was not the leader (of the Republicans) from the moment he took this crazy decision, said parliamentarian Aurélien Pradié to the French public service broadcaster France 2 before the meeting.
We will throw him out of the office that belongs to the descendants of (former President) Charles de Gaulle if we have to, said Pradié, who is considered one of the heavyweights within the Republicans.
