Elected president of the Republicans, Bruno Retailleau sweeps away Laurent Wauquiez in the Var

The first rallies of Bruno Retailleau and Laurent Wauquiez in the Var region neatly summed up the final score of the internal election for the presidency of Les Républicains. On the one hand, a VIP reception in a packed RCT Campus for the Minister of the Interior. On the other, an oversized gymnasium in La Garde and some empty rows of chairs for the Haute-Loire MP. As a result, the former was elected president of the right-wing party on Sunday evening with 74.31% of the vote, compared to 25.69% for the latter. He thus succeeds Éric Ciotti, who left the party in September 2024, following his rally to Marine Le Pen. In all, 80% of the 121,600 members turned out.

In the Var, France's eighth-largest federation after Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Yvelines, Alpes-Maritimes, and Bouches-du-Rhône, the Matignon resident's score was five points above the national average (74.31%). Bruno Retailleau garnered 79.3% of the vote, or 1,808 votes, compared to 20.7% and 472 votes for the leader of the LR deputies in the National Assembly. For Laurent Wauquiez, it was 10 points less than on the Maralpin side.

The elected officials behind Bruno Retailleau

And for good reason. The majority of parliamentarians and mayors in the Var region supported the Minister of the Interior, who spoke one last time to the department's activists in Saint-Raphaël last Thursday. That evening, he was accompanied by MEP François-Xavier Bellamy. Behind this final meeting was LR senator François Dumont. "Magnificent, resounding victory for Bruno Retailleau!" she rejoiced, once the election result was known. "A resounding score for a clear and strong line. [...] With him, a great wind of hope has risen, a right that reaffirms its values ​​without apologizing for being right-wing." She added: "Those who said we were dead must have a headache." For Françoise Dumont, it is up to Bruno Retailleau "to impose his ambitions on all subjects, including tax reductions, while we are the most taxed country in the Eurozone for public services that are declining."

Also behind Bruno Retailleau's candidacy (including financially), LR senator Michel Bonnus. "A very good thing" for the one who had gone "dormant" after his candidate's first defeat and the election of Éric Ciotti in 2022. "Bruno has a sincere approach, it shows," he believes. "It's not enough to say it, you have to be transparent. He ran a great campaign without scratching his opponent and developing his vision. He knew how to be intelligent. And then, he embodies. I don't see him governing by terror." The quasi-candidate for mayor of Toulon confides the first words he exchanged with his protégé on election night: "He told me that the Toulon meeting had deeply affected him emotionally and that it hadn't happened anywhere else."

Jean-Louis Masson still believes in Laurent Wauquiez

For his part, the president of the LR 83 federation failed to impose his choice. He was one of the only Var executives to support Laurent Wauquiez, "a friend of 15 years" whom he saw at the time as the best placed for the 2027 presidential election. True to this privileged relationship, he believed in the reversal of the dynamic, without his optimism being confirmed at the ballot box. In recent weeks, he had nevertheless praised the seriousness of Bruno Retailleau's candidacy. "I congratulate both candidates for the dignity of the campaign, the richness of their ideas," he commented. While having a word for the loser: "I am sure that Laurent Wauquiez will play a decisive role in bringing our family together." He also highlighted the increase in membership, from less than 2,000 (end of 2024) to 3,727 (as of April 16, the deadline for memberships to be able to vote).

Jean-Pierre Giran, mayor of Hyères and president of the TPM metropolis, has thus confirmed his return to Les Républicains. He was particularly attracted by the "authenticity" of Bruno Retailleau, whom he sees as a "consistent personality" . "For the moment, he is keeping his promises, we will see what happens," he continues. "Now, whether it is for the municipal or presidential elections, we will only win if the Republican right is united, notably with Edouard Philippe. We have no intention of making alliances with the National Rally." The complete opposite of what Éric Ciotti advocated.