The Popular Right (French: La Droite populaire, commonly known as La Droite pop) is a recognised movement within the National Rally (RN) since 2019, previously within the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and The Republicans (LR). It was founded in 2010 as the Collectif parlementaire de la Droite populaire, a caucus of UMP parliamentarians which included 26 members of the National Assembly. The Popular Right seeks to emphasise issues such as national identity, security and immigration. Its leader is Thierry Mariani, currently an MEP.
The movement's charter [2] focused on six themes: nation, patriotism, free enterprise, family policy, security, responsible management of public finances, and French prestige abroad. Emphasizing some of the most right-wing and law-and-order aspect of former PresidentNicolas Sarkozy's 2007 platform, it focused much of its actions on immigration and security. It has strongly opposed foreigners' right to vote in local elections.[3]
It has often created controversy because of its radical positions on certain issues, for example when it asked for references to gender to be removed from school textbooks.[4] Some of its members have also indicated their support for local alliances with the far-right National Front, raising controversy within the UMP and on the left.[5]
As a motion for the November 2012 congress, the Droite Populaire did badly, placing fifth with 10.87% of the motions vote,[7] barely enough to qualify as a recognized movement in the UMP.
