Interior minister takes helm of French conservatives

Bruno Retailleau, currently serving as France's interior minister, was elected on Sunday as the new head of the center-right party The Republicans, or LR.

In an internal vote held on Sunday at the party's national headquarters in Paris, Retailleau won a commanding 74.2 percent of support among party members, defeating his rival Laurent Wauquiez, who secured just 25.8 percent.

This victory not only cements Retailleau's authority within the party but also positions him as a potential challenger to President Emmanuel Macron's political legacy, and analysts say the result underscores a broader reconfiguration of the French right.