19-05-2025
Bruno Retailleau: could he be France's next president?
A year or so ago Bruno Retailleau was a marginal figure on the French political stage, little known outside his west coast bastion and dismissed by commentators as uncharismatic.
Now the man who entered politics on horseback is being talked about as a possible right-wing saviour after being elected as head of the opposition Republicans party on a tough anti-immigration programme.
The election was another step in the rise that began last autumn when Retailleau, 64, was appointed interior minister and went on to adopt a notably hard line that seems to be in tune with French public opinion.
Long considered an able deputy to France's frontline rightwing political leaders, he is said to be dreaming of a run for the presidency himself in 2027.
