French interior minister wins contest to lead conservative party

19/5/2025 6:25

French Interior Minister Bruno

Retailleau was voted the new leader of the centre-right

Republicans (LR) party on Sunday, bolstering his chances ahead

of a 2027 presidential election in which many believe he will

run.



With just over 74% of the vote in an internal LR election,

Retailleau comfortably beat Laurent Wauquiez, who leads the

party in France's lower house of parliament.



Wauquiez caused outrage during the campaign with a proposal

that migrants awaiting deportation should be shipped off to the

remote French-controlled islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

off Canada's coast.



Since becoming interior minister last year, Retailleau has

sought to crack down on immigration and drug crime, but has

struggled to show strong results on either front.



The rise in popularity of Marine Le Pen's National Rally

(RN) has contributed to a right-ward shift in French politics,

and Retailleau's high-profile job and conservative views could

make him a viable candidate for the 2027 election.



"Mr. Retailleau's rhetoric is a clear-cut theft of the

National Rally," said RN spokesman Laurent Jacobelli. "If we

look at his actions, however, there is a gap between rhetoric

and reality."



Once a cornerstone of French politics, created by former

President Nicolas Sarkozy as a continuation of fellow

ex-president Jacques Chirac's party, LR is now a faded force

with just 48 seats in parliament, far behind the RN's 123.