The movement was created as an informal parliamentary caucus within the then-governing UMP in June 2010 by
Lionnel Luca,
Richard Mallié,
Jean-Paul Garraud and
Thierry Mariani - all members of the UMP's right-wing. It was later joined by other parliamentarians, most of them from the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France, a region where the far-right
National Front is very strong. The movement's charter 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
President Nicolas 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. 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. 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. The group was badly hurt by the
2012 legislative elections, after which its weight in the
French National Assembly shrank from 63 to 26 deputies. 37 of its members lost reelection. As it restructured itself as a motion for the
November 2012 congress, leaders such as
Thierry Mariani worried about the rise of similar motions such as
The Strong Right. ==Weight within the UMP==