Description | Center-right Christian-democratic party launched by former members of the Union for French Democracy (Union pour la démocratie française, UDF) founded by former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing ahead of its planned dissolution on November 30, 2007. Party began as the New Center (Nouveau Centre), inspired by the "centrist" and Europhilic themes of three-time presidential candidate François Bayrou. Party was renamed The Centrists on December 11, 2016 by its founding leader Hervé Morin, the first President of the Regional Council of Normandy and former Minister of Defense. Party supports a co-habitation of the welfare state with a market economy, and is keen to introduce to France a mixed member proportional (MMP) system for parliamentary elections. Party has been part of the Union of the Right and Center alliance since 2017 [Les Centristes (LC); aka, Les Centristes – Nouveau Centre (LC-NC)]. |