A black beast of the left, but an attractive figure for the right and the far right, Bruno Retailleau managed to establish himself in the space of three months. François Bayrou, appointed to Matignon on December 13, has not yet formed his government but has already said out loud who he would like to see remain among the resigning ministers.
The Republican appointed to the Interior in September by the previous Prime Minister Michel Barnier is one of them. He “has shown in recent weeks and months that he has found decisions and directions that respond to part of what public opinion is asking for,” explained François Bayrou. How did the person who embodies a hard right, focused on security issues linked to immigration, succeed? What does the choice to have him stay in government reflect in the future political line? Is François Bayrou not, in turn, at risk of censorship from his government?
How did Bruno Retailleau find himself in a position of strength?
Unlike other resigned ministers who will probably no longer be remembered in a few weeks because their time in government was so brief, Bruno Retailleau knew how to shine during his stay at Place Beauvau. His speeches, mainly focused on immigration and the “resumption of control” and his controversial positions such as that concerning State Medical Aid, to name but a few, have succeeded in seducing the ears of the hard right. and the extreme right. “He created a bridge between the presidential party and the National Rally, as Gérald Darmanin did before him,” analyzes Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, professor of political communication at Sciences Po.
It has become so essential that Bruno Retailleau now imposes his conditions to stay in Beauvau. Friday, December 13, the former senator LR asked for “guarantees” from the new Prime Minister. There are “non-negotiable things”, those around him told AFP, referring to “the drastic fight against illegal immigration” and the “reduction of legal immigration to what is strictly necessary”. He then became an essential figure “of a right without a leader, taking advantage of the void left by Nicolas Sarkozy”, still judges the professor at Sciences Po.
How did the Minister of the Interior take advantage of the crisis in Mayotte?
Even in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, the resigning Minister of the Interior keeps his line and takes the opportunity to reiterate his commitment against immigration. After the cyclone which ravaged the Mayotte archipelago last weekend, Bruno Retailleau insisted on BFMTV on Wednesday that France had to be “much tougher towards the Comoros”. “We left the Mahorais alone in the face of their misfortune, with this immigration which is completely uncontrolled,” the minister further highlighted.
He is also one of the first two members of the government, before the president and the Prime Minister, to have visited the site. A way of establishing oneself once again as an indispensable figure in the government. On the issue of Mayotte, François Bayrou even gave the floor to the resigning Minister of the Interior at a press conference last Sunday. “In contrast to the disastrous communication of Emmanuel Macron and François Bayrou, that of Bruno Retailleau appeared clear and sober, he thus seemed more solid and reliable than the others,” believes Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet.
What does his possible (re)appointment mean internally?
The choice of Bruno Retailleau is “an asset for the union of the rights, but a burden for the union with the left”, summarizes Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet. His “RN compatible” profile thus shows the Prime Minister's desire to turn towards the extreme right rather than opening towards the left, further believes Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet. François Bayrou actually lacks room for maneuver, the Socialist Party rejecting any participation in his future government. The fact remains that this choice “is symbolic since we are giving up on discussions with the left”, adds the professor at Sciences Po.
Even if it means risking a new overthrow of the government as the figure of Bruno Retailleau acts as a foil for a certain part of the political class. The leader of the Ecologists, Marine Tondelier, describes it as “a reason for censorship in itself”. Finally, even though the government has not yet been named, but should be revealed before Christmas, the risk of a “Barnier bis” looms on the horizon with “permanent blackmail of the RN”. To avoid it, “we would have to succeed in convincing heavyweights from other political groups, particularly on the left, to enter the government to compensate,” argues Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet. For the moment, this option seems compromised.
Our file on the new government
Finally, when the Prime Minister imposes himself on the Head of State, when the Minister of the Interior imposes himself on the Prime Minister, “it is because there is no longer any authority, no more line politics, no more center of gravity outside the RN, power is up for grabs,” notes the political communication teacher.
