**Bruno Retailleau was elected president of Les Républicains with 74.31% of the votes. In the Alpes-Maritimes, his supporters are praising a clear line, while his opponents denounce a shift to the far right.**
Bruno Retailleau was elected president of the Les Républicains party this Sunday, May 18th, with 74.31% of the votes. His challenger, Laurent Wauquiez, received only 25.7% of the votes cast. This vote concludes several months of internal campaigning and clarifies the party’s direction ahead of 2027.
In a statement on [TF1](https://www.tf1info.fr/politique/bruno-retailleau-tres-largement-elu-president-des-republicains-2371566.html), Bruno Retailleau asserted that Les Républicains were now “able to carry [his] project for” the next presidential election. He also promised to “restore a clear line” to the party. This result further distances the possibility of Les Républicains’ participation in the government.
Laurent Wauquiez, defeated, acknowledged his loss from the Puy-en-Velay. He called for unity: “the poison of division [which] has so often weakened the right” must not return, he declared.
## Between Enthusiasm and Criticism in the Alpes-Maritimes
In the department, Bruno Retailleau’s supporters rejoiced in this victory. [Alexandra Borchio Fontimp](https://www.nicepremium.fr/actualite/alexandra-borchio-fontimp-defend-les-communes-face-aux-assurances/), senator from the Alpes-Maritimes and spokesperson for his campaign, speaks of “an immense pride and deep emotion.” She praises a result from “an intense campaign” and underscores that the Les Républicains candidate “embodies a right true to its values.” She expresses confidence: “together, we will make the voice of a strong right heard.”
[Dominique Estrosi Sassone](https://www.nicepremium.fr/politique/dominique-estrosi-sassone-alerte-la-ministre-de-lagriculture/), senator from Nice of Les Républicains, sees this victory as an opportunity for reconstruction. “This score obliges him,” she writes, while praising “his strength of convictions” and “clear line.” She calls for the political family to be rebuilt around the values of “order, authority, work, and sovereignty.”
On the left, reactions are more critical. [Julien Picot](https://www.nicepremium.fr/politique/julien-picot-designe-chef-de-file-du-pcf-pour-les-municipales-a-nice/), a communist elected official in the Alpes-Maritimes, jokes: “With him, the right does not retreat: it buries itself in darkness.” According to him, this election further aligns Les Républicains with positions close to the extreme right.
The former president of Les Républicains, Eric Ciotti, also reacted on X, calling the new leader of Les Républicains “to courage. I hope he will also follow me in the union of the right, the only way to uplift France, and that he will not remain a prisoner of the waning macronism that has ruined the country.” It’s worth recalling that the founder of the new UDR party [slammed the door of the party](https://www.nicepremium.fr/politique/eric-ciotti-claque-la-porte-du-parti-les-republicains/) nine months ago after the upheaval caused by his wish for rapprochement with the [Rassemblement National](https://www.nicepremium.fr/actualite/marine-le-pen-et-jordan-bardella-debarquent-a-nice-pour-un-meeting-du-rassemblement-national/).
This internal election hints at a reorganization on the right. It remains to be seen if Bruno Retailleau’s line will prevail in the coming months, especially as the [2027 presidential elections](https://www.tf1info.fr/politique/bruno-retailleau-tres-largement-elu-president-des-republicains-2371566.html) approach.
