Bruno Retailleau, Leader of a Party That No Longer Makes Presidents in France
French Interior Minister Bruno Rotailleau has assumed the leadership of the right-wing Republicans (LR) party, with his sights set on winning the Élysée Palace in the 2027 presidential election.
However, this party, which has produced several presidents in the past, is no longer capable of making presidents in France.
This politician's rise to the leadership of the right-wing party coincided with a severe political and diplomatic crisis with Algeria.
Many moderate politicians in Algeria and France view him as the cause of the deepening impasse in Algerian-French relations since last summer, which saw French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to distort his country's position on the Western Sahara issue by blatantly siding with the Moroccan regime.
Many observers have discussed Bruno Rotailleau's political ambitions and their repercussions for relations with Algeria, pointing to the possibility of running for the French presidential election. However, this possibility remains highly unlikely, according to observers, given the weakness of his party, which came in fourth place in the last legislative elections, with only 46 seats in the French National Assembly (the lower house of parliament). This is compared to the left-wing movement, known as the 'New National Front,' which won 182 seats.
The right-wing movement in France, both traditional and extreme, currently consists of four parties: the National Rally (RN), a descendant of the far-right National Front, founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen, the third-largest political party based on the results of the recent legislative elections; the Republicans (LR); the Union of the Right for the Republic, founded by Éric Ciotti, the former president of the Republicans; and another small party, the Reconquest Party (Reconquéte), founded by the Jewish extremist Éric Zemmour.
For the Algerian diplomat Mustapha Zeghlache, Bruno Retailleau's ascension to the Élysée Palace remains extremely difficult, given the fragmentation of the right-wing and far-right movements, as well as the decline of the 'Republicans' LR party in the French political scene due to the divisions it has experienced, the most recent of which occurred last summer, when its former president decided to split and form an alliance with the extremist 'National Front' party.
Retailleau's first statement after his victory in the Republicans' presidential election was to emphasise that his primary focus would be on unifying the right-wing faction. However, the contradictions on the ground appear far greater than he imagined, making this task difficult, if not impossible.
In a statement to Echorouk, Zeghlach explained, 'Even though it's too early, and the possibility of Retailleau running for the presidency and winning is disturbing to Algeria and its interests, it will be extremely difficult to achieve his dreams, because the political landscape in France has changed significantly, and his party is no longer as popular as it once was.'
It is well known that the Republicans party, formerly known as the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) before changing its name in 2015, which embodies Gaullist values, of which only the name remains, has brought numerous presidents to the Élysée Palace, such as General de Gaulle, Jacques Chirac, and most recently Nicolas Sarkozy. However, today it has not even been able to secure second or third place in legislative or local elections, underscoring the difficulty Bruno Retailleau faces in relying on this party to achieve his dreams.
The former diplomat spoke about the inevitability of alliances in winning the French presidency. He also noted that the presence of right-wing figures with significant political ambitions, such as Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Rally party, following Marine Le Pen's barring from running, would complicate Retailleau's task, as he will face a left-wing alliance with which he has considerable animosity and hostility.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
El Chorouk
11 hours ago
- El Chorouk
Sixth Algerian-Italian Summit To Be Held Soon in Rome
The sixth high-level bilateral summit between Italy and Algeria will soon be held in Rome, the Italian Ambassador to Algeria, Alberto Cutillo, said. Ambassador Cutillo emphasised that Algeria 'has been and will remain a distinguished partner for his country.' He described the relationship between the two countries as 'a true friendship that remains alive even in the most difficult moments.' He confirmed that the Italian-Algerian relationship is based on dialogue, mutual trust, shared roots, and a unified vision for the future. He noted that Algeria plays a pivotal role within the framework of the Italian government's Mattei Plan for Africa. The Italian diplomat's announcement was made during a celebration organised by his country's embassy in Algiers on Monday evening to mark the 79th anniversary of the founding of the Italian Republic, 'Republic Day'. The ceremony was held at the ambassador's residence. It was attended by the Minister of Industry, Sifi Ghrieb, and the Vice-Presidents of the National People's Assembly and the Council of the Nation, Monder Bouden and Rabah Baghali, along with some ambassadors and diplomats accredited to Algeria, representatives of the Italian community, and Italian institutions active in Algeria. The Italian ambassador noted that the sixth bilateral summit between Algeria and Italy will be held in Rome, adding that it will be organised in light of the two countries' desire to build an equal partnership based on mutual respect and shared benefit. In his address, Cutillo recalled that on June 2, 1946, the Italian people elected a republic, which represents a powerful symbolic milestone. For the first time, Italian women were called to the polls. He described it as 'a day of freedom, democracy, and participation that continues to inspire the present and the future.' The ambassador also highlighted Algeria's pivotal role within the framework of the 'Mattei Plan for Africa' in strengthening the partnership between the two shores of the Mediterranean, emphasizing that this initiative represents a model of 'an equal partnership that imposes nothing, but is built jointly, based on respect and mutual benefit.' He concluded that the areas of energy, innovation, infrastructure, culture, training, and agriculture represent the pillars of bilateral cooperation, supported by tangible dynamism from institutions, universities, and civil society in both countries.
El Chorouk
11 hours ago
- El Chorouk
The fragmentation of decision-making sources in Paris portends something more dangerous
The words and actions of the French authorities do not entirely align when it comes to relations with Algeria. While both French President Emmanuel Macron and his Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, claim to be keen on relations with Algeria, other French institutions adopt a different approach, leading to doubts about the intentions of decision-makers in Paris. A statement from the Algerian Council of the Nation, headed by Mr. Azzouz Nasseri, addressed to its French counterpart following the latter's repeated provocations towards Algeria, confirmed that the French authorities do not intend to put bilateral relations back on track, as long as there are responsible parties in Paris working to sabotage these relations. When an Algerian stance is issued that sovereignly defends the Algerian state, voices rise in the former colony, condemning what they consider 'Algeria's insult to France,' a famous phrase uttered by French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau last January, when an Algerian national was deported outside the laws and diplomatic norms in force between the two countries, which are governed by bilateral agreements. Days after the French Senate received the terrorist fugitive from Algerian justice, Ferhat Mehenni, for the second time in less than a month, some French circles emerged lamenting what they claimed were the pressures faced by the French embassy in Algeria, exactly as happened after Algeria expelled 12 employees from the French embassy in Algiers, in response to the showy arrest of an Algerian consular official in Paris, outside of laws and norms. The French are now talking about pressures they claim their embassy and its annexes in Algeria are facing, in the latest leak from an unnamed French diplomat, reported by Le Monde on Tuesday, June 3, in an article titled: 'The French Embassy in Algeria is under pressure and restriction.' The French newspaper quotes the diplomat as saying: 'The Algerian authorities operate according to verbal notes, according to current diplomatic terms. Messages written by the embassy are sent to one entity, which is the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.' The same source claims: 'During periods of peace in bilateral relations, fax replies only arrived in half of the cases, without anyone knowing whether that was due to bad faith or simply due to local administrative shortcomings, so imagine what that means in times of crisis!' The same source also spoke about the isolation experienced by the embassy's economic center, 'Business France,' which has an office there. It is deprived, the source adds, of official relations, and therefore cannot organize professional meetings or discuss investment projects, while its role is limited to analyzing the development of the Algerian market without any influence on stakeholders, especially in light of economic deterioration and a 21 percent decline in French exports to Algeria in the first quarter of 2025. They also lament the halt of cultural activities affiliated with the embassy, the difficulty of obtaining visas for French artists wishing to perform in Algeria, and the restriction on the French language, through the shift to teaching medicine and pharmacy in English instead of French, and before that, the cessation of police and judicial cooperation between the two countries. However, they ignore the reasons that led to this situation, after the visit of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to Algeria on April 6, which had re-established bridges of communication between the two countries at all levels. The only entity that remained unaffected by the restrictions, according to Le Monde, is the French consulate, which continues to respond to civil status requests, ensure consular protection for French citizens, and process visa applications submitted by individuals, according to the diplomatic source, who warned that this crisis, if it continues, could lead to 'structural effects on the relationship between France and Algeria,' in his words.
El Chorouk
6 days ago
- El Chorouk
Laboratories in Paris are unable to understand France's helplessness against Algeria.
The French are still searching by all means for what they consider 'the reasons for helplessness against Algeria' in the current iron grip, and for that, they resort each time to interrogating politicians, historians, and specialists in political sociology, hoping to reach the recipe that will enable them to regain lost influence in their former colony, which has begun to deal with them with an unprecedented equal footing. The latest to be interrogated in this context was the well-known French sociologist, Gilles Kepel, who was a guest on the 'Le Figaro Live' platform, to answer the central question: 'Why is France unable to confront Algeria?', a question that has been strongly raised for more than ten months, which marks the age of the escalating and unprecedented crisis between the two countries. Gilles Kepel, who is a professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, and also holds the Chair of the Middle East and the Mediterranean at the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, linked what has been happening between the two sides of the Mediterranean in recent months to some variables that have accumulated since Algeria gained its independence in the early 1960s. According to the French sociologist, the first factor that increased the strength and rigidity of the Algerian position is that this country, Kepel says, enjoys economic independence derived from the large wealth and resources that Algeria possesses, foremost among them oil and gas wealth, which provided financial resources that enabled the Algerian state to eliminate dependence on foreign countries in the field of financing and to establish the necessary infrastructure that the state needs. As for the second dimension, it is represented by the Algerian community, which numbers millions in the former colony, and this is a card that plays in Algeria's favor in any conflict between the two countries. Moreover, the diversity of this community and its penetration into various aspects of activity in French society makes it influential. He pointed here to the arrival of an immigrant's son of Algerian origin to the government, where he currently holds the portfolios of Interior and Justice, referring to Gérald Moussa Darmanin, in addition to the presence of influential businessmen and intellectuals of Algerian origin in French society. The professor at the 'London Ideas' Center for Diplomacy and Strategy at the London School of Economics and Political Science also believes that what he considers 'Algerian hostile policy towards France may have a negative impact on a segment of the French people,' and he refers here to the children of the Algerian community who may, of course, follow the interests of their country, according to his view, which is a natural thing that can happen in any country that hosts a large foreign community. With some precision, Gilles Kepel refers to the disturbances and incidents that some French prisons were subjected to, and the targeting of some agents working in prison services, in the previous weeks, when the tension between the two countries was at its highest levels, and he tried to link that to the iron grip adopted by the French government towards Algeria and its community. The French sociologist did not hide his fears of the pressure usually exerted by some lobbies (pressure groups) affiliated with Algeria in France. The French remain perplexed in dealing with Algeria in light of the current crisis, the repercussions of which have confused decision-makers in Paris, so that, after nearly a year of the escalating crisis, they are still unable to get out of this quagmire they fell into, ever since French President Emmanuel Macron decided to blatantly side with the Moroccan regime in the Western Sahara issue, despite his awareness of the seriousness of that position on French interests in Algeria.
