The party led by Nicholas Sarkozy has been called the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) and is in the Gaullist tradition of right of centre paternalism, but has decided to change its name.
Now to be known as "Les Republicans" it also marks a move towards more liberal politics in the style of Britain's Conservative Party (though not so extreme as its US namesake).
The move is not without controversy; France being a constitutional republic others have claimed the name is not to be used by one faction. Even within its own ranks the change is not liked by the majority - though we suppose that is the point about conservatives: they don't like change.
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