19-05-2025
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.
