Bruno Retailleau

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Bruno Retailleau
Retailleau in 2019
Minister of the Interior
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 September 2024
Prime MinisterMichel Barnier
Preceded byGérald Darmanin
President of The Republicans group
in the Senate
In office
7 October 2014 – 30 September 2024
Preceded byJean-Claude Gaudin
Senator for Vendée
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 October 2004
President of the Regional Council
of Pays de la Loire
In office
18 December 2015 – 13 September 2017
Preceded byJacques Auxiette
Succeeded byChristelle Morançais
President of the General Council of Vendée
In office
30 November 2010 – 2 April 2015
Preceded byPhilippe de Villiers
Succeeded byYves Auvinet
Member of the National Assembly
for Vendée's 4th constituency
In office
26 November 1994 – 12 June 1997
Preceded byPhilippe de Villiers
Succeeded byPhilippe de Villiers
Departmental Councillor of Vendée
In office
3 October 1988 – 1 April 2015
ConstituencyCanton of Mortagne-sur-Sèvre
Personal details
Born
Bruno Daniel Marie Paul Retailleau

(1960-11-20) 20 November 1960 (age 63)
Cholet, France
Political partyLR (2015–present)
Other political
affiliations		MPF (1994–2010)
Independent (2010–2012)
UMP (2012–2015)
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Nantes
Sciences Po

Bruno Daniel Marie Paul Retailleau (French pronunciation: [bʁyno danjɛl maʁi pɔl ʁətajo]; born 20 November 1960) is a French politician who has served as Minister of the Interior since September 2024.

Retailleau has represented the Vendée department in the National Assembly from 1994 to 1997, and in the Senate from 2004 to 2024. He presided over The Republicans group in the Senate from 2014 to 2024. He also served as President of the General Council of Vendée from 2010 to 2015 and President of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire from 2015 until 2017.

Early life and education

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Son of a grain merchant, he was born on 20 November 1960 in Cholet, Maine-et-Loire.[1][2]

Elder of a family of 4 children, he grew up in Saint-Malô-du-Bois, a village in the bocage of Vendée, 7 kilometers from where the Puy du Fou historical theme park would emerge.[3][4]

Retailleau graduated from Sciences Po in 1985, after a master's degree in economics at the University of Nantes.[2][5]

Professional career

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In 1985, he became deputy general manager of a local radio station Alouette, then, from 1987 to 1994, general manager of the Sciencescom communication school, later integrated into the Audencia Business School.[6]

When the Grand Parc du Puy du Fou corporation was created, which manages the theme park associated with the "Cinéscénie", he became its first chairman of the board.[7]

Political career

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Early beginnings

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A member of the Movement for France (MPF) until 2010, Retailleau became the Vendée General Councillor for the canton of Mortagne-sur-Sèvre in 1988, a position he retained until 2015.

Member of the National Assembly

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Retailleau became the member of the National Assembly for the fourth constituency of Vendée in 1994 upon the election of Philippe de Villiers as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), a position he did not seek election again in the 1997 election, as De Villiers was running for his old seat.[8]

Member of the Senate

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Instead, Retailleau joined the Senate in 2004, where he has been serving as chairman of the Republicans' group since 2014. In 2010, he succeeded De Villiers as President of the General Council of Vendée. In 2012, he joined the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).

President of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire

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In the 2015 regional elections, Retailleau led a list in Pays de la Loire with the support of The Republicans (LR) and the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), which received over 42% of the vote in the second round. He supported the Aéroport du Grand Ouest project.[9][10] On 18 December 2015, he became President of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire, an office he resigned from in 2017 to focus on his activities in the Senate.

In the Republicans' 2016 primaries, Retailleau endorsed François Fillon as the party's candidate for the 2017 French presidential election.[11] He subsequently joined Fillon's team as campaign coordinator.[12]

Right-wing primary

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Ahead of the Republicans' leadership election in 2019, Retailleau announced that he would run for the position as the party's chair.[13] He gave up on his candidacy in August 2021.[14]

At the Republicans’ national convention in December 2021, Retailleau was part of the 11-member committee which oversaw the party's selection of its candidate for the 2022 presidential elections.[15]

Candidate for the presidency of the Republicans

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On September 2, 2022, Retailleau announced his candidacy for the presidency of The Republicans party. In an internal vote,[16] he was eventually defeated by Éric Ciotti on 11 December 2022.[17]

Minister of the Interior, 2024–

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On 21 September 2024, Retailleau was appointed Minister of the Interior in the Barnier government, succeeding Gérald Darmanin.[18][19]

Political positions

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Retailleau claims to belong to a right wing that stands by its values.[20] A supporter of a clear opposition to Emmanuel Macron, he refused any government agreement with Macron's party, Renaissance, in 2022.[21] In 2024, he joined the Barnier government, a center-right coalition government which includes Renaissance.[22]

Regularly described as a liberal-conservative, Retailleau advocates major reforms of work, the state and the French social model, and calls for "a policy of civilization" against woke indoctrination.[23][24][21][25] A proponent of a firmer response to security issues, Bruno Retailleau defends a "penal revolution" including measures such as the introduction of short prison sentences for the first acts of delinquency, the lowering of the Age of criminal responsibility to 16 years and the suspension of social and family aid for parents who do not assume their educational responsibilities.[26] Attached to French sovereignty, he regularly denounces the influence of jurisprudence such as the ECHR, was opposed to the Treaty of Lisbon and refuses any federalist rush to the European Union.[21][27]

In 2019, advocating for "an intellectual refoundation" of the right, Retailleau aimed to give back an ideological corpus to his political family and called on the right to seize new issues such as environmentalism, to which he devoted a book.[28][29]

In March 2024, Retailleau voted against an amendment that enshrined abortion in the French Constitution.[30]

Immigration

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Retailleau is a staunch opponent of immigration.[31] During one of the debates on an immigration bill in July 2024, which was introduced by his predecessor Gérald Darmanin, he stated "immigration is not an opportunity for France."[32] Upon becoming Minister of the Interior in 2024, he ordered the deportation of illegal immigrants from the overseas island of Mayotte to the DRC.[33][34][35] During an interview with French daily newspaper Le Parisien on October 10, Retailleau stated his intention in tightening the amount of illegal immigrants that can be regularized into French society.[36][37]

Foreign policy

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In a joint letter initiated by Norbert Röttgen and Anthony Gonzalez ahead of the 47th G7 summit in 2021, Retailleau joined some 70 legislators from Europe, the US and Japan in calling upon their leaders to take a tough stance on China and to "avoid becoming dependent" on the country for technology including artificial intelligence and 5G.[38]

Following the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état, Retailleau joined forces with fellow Senators Christian Cambon and Roger Karoutchi on an open letter to President Macron in Le Figaro, critizicing France's Africa policy and arguing that the failure of Operation Barkhane was in great part the reason why France and its economic, political and military presence have been rejected in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and the Central African Republic; the letter was signed by 91 other Senators.[39][40]

Personal life

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Married to a medical doctor, Retailleau is the father of three children.[41]

Passionate about horseback riding, Retailleau was spotted by Philippe de Villiers while participating as a volunteer rider in the "Cinéscénie" show at the Puy du Fou.[42][5] The creator of the show, who quickly made him his second in command, later entrusted him with the staging of the Cinescénie for nearly 25 years.[43][44]

Bibliography

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Books

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  • Retailleau, Bruno (August 23, 2010). Les entreprises de taille intermédiaire au coeur d'une nouvelle dynamique de croissance (in French). Paris: La Documentation Française. p. 170. ISBN 978-2110081629.
  • Retailleau, Bruno (March 20, 2019). Refondation (in French). Paris: Éditions de l'Observatoire. p. 288. ISBN 979-1032906286.
  • Retailleau, Bruno (October 21, 2021). Aurons-nous encore de la lumière en hiver ? (in French). Paris: Éditions de l'Observatoire. p. 140. ISBN 979-1032924266.

References

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  1. ^ "Les confidences de François Fillon à l'heure de passer le témoin à Bruno Retailleau". LEFIGARO (in French). 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  2. ^ a b "Bruno Retailleau - Who's Who". www.whoswho.fr (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  3. ^ Beaucarnot, Jean-Louis (2022). Le tout politique 2022 : [origines, cousinages, personnalités] : [la face cachée de nos politiques] (Nouvelle édition ed.). Paris: l'Archipel. ISBN 978-2-8098-4338-5. OCLC 1319654805.
  4. ^ "Le guide des mardis de l'Essec" (PDF). 2021-01-19.
  5. ^ a b "Pays de la Loire: Bruno Retailleau au scanner". LExpress.fr (in French). 2016-06-07. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  6. ^ "Histoire de la radio locale Alouette". schoop.fr (in French).
  7. ^ magazine, Le Point (2014-10-02). "Bruno Retailleau, du Puy-du-Fou, à la tête des sénateurs UMP". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  8. ^ "Une élection législative partielle M. Retailleau succède à M. de Villiers en Vendée". Le Monde.fr (in French). 1994-11-29. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  9. ^ (in French) "Découvrir Bruno Retailleau". Archived from the original on 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
  10. ^ (in French) "Retailleau: " La ZAD de Notre-Dame-des-Landes est le symbole de l'affaissement de l'Etat "". Public Sénat. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  11. ^ Ludovic Vigogne (20 April 2016), Primaire à droite: la liste des premiers soutiens parlementaires L'Opinion.
  12. ^ Brian Love (22 March 2017), Fillon camp decries "soap opera" of sleaze reports a month from French election Reuters.
  13. ^ Simon Carraud (19 June 2019), Retailleau abandonne l'idée de briguer la présidence de LR Reuters.
  14. ^ "Présidentielle 2022 : Bruno Retailleau renonce à sa candidature". Le Point (in French). 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  15. ^ Ludovic Vigogne (12 October 2021), Congrès LR: après le oui de Bertrand, les choses sérieuses commencent L'Opinion.
  16. ^ "Bruno Retailleau: "Je serai candidat à la présidence des Républicains"". LEFIGARO (in French). 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  17. ^ "Éric Ciotti élu face à Bruno Retailleau à la présidence de LR". Le Huffington Post (in French). 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  18. ^ "DIRECT. Gouvernement: l'équipe du Premier ministre Michel Barnier dévoilée". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  19. ^ "Retailleau, Lecornu, Barrot... Voici la composition du nouveau gouvernement Barnier". Le Figaro (in French). 2024-09-21. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  20. ^ "Bruno Retailleau : ' Depuis 30 ans, la droite n'a pas suffisamment assumé les valeurs de droite '". Public Senat (in French). 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  21. ^ a b c "Le candidat à la présidence de LR Bruno Retailleau au JDD : ' Je veux tout changer à droite '". lejdd.fr (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  22. ^ "Macron names right-leaning French government under Michel Barnier". The Guardian. 2024-09-21. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  23. ^ "Bruno Retailleau creuse son sillon à droite". Les Echos (in French). 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  24. ^ Albertini, Dominique. "Bruno Retailleau : "Dire que la France souffre du libéralisme, c'est une mauvaise plaisanterie"". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  25. ^ Chiecchi, Jérôme Cordelier, Mégane (2021-04-17). "Bruno Retailleau : " Notre pays est majoritairement à droite "". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ "Bruno Retailleau : " Si nous n'enclenchons pas une révolution pénale, nous aurons une insurrection électorale "". LEFIGARO (in French). 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  27. ^ "Bruno Retailleau: "L'Europe des petites cuisines et des grandes dépendances"". LEFIGARO (in French). 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  28. ^ Dupont, Laureline (2019-03-28). "Bruno Retailleau, les idées à l'endroit". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  29. ^ Vernay, Stephane (2019-03-28). [ENTRETIEN. « La droite a une légitimité sur l’écologie », affirme Bruno Retailleau (ouest-france.fr) "" La droite a une légitimité sur l'écologie ", affirme Bruno Retailleau"]. Ouest France (in French). Retrieved 2022-10-24. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  30. ^ "Scrutin public n°1 sur le projet de loi constitutionnelle relatif à la liberté de recourir à l'interruption volontaire de grossesse". Assemblée nationale. March 4, 2024.
  31. ^ Claire Gatinois (October 1, 2024). "Bruno Retailleau provoque le malaise chez les macronistes après ses propos sur l'Etat de droit et l'immigration". Le Monde.
  32. ^ "IVG, immigration: Bruno Retailleau, a Minister of the Interior with conservative positions". BFM TV. September 22, 2024.
  33. ^ "French interior minister orders deportation flights to DRC". Le Monde. October 2, 2024.
  34. ^ "France orders more deportation flights to Africa from Indian Ocean island of Mayotte". France 24. October 3, 2024.
  35. ^ "French interior minister vows more deportation flights to DRC from Mayotte". Radio France Internationale. October 3, 2024.
  36. ^ "Bruno Retailleau veut durcir les conditions de régularisation de sans papiers". BFM TV. October 10, 2024.
  37. ^ "Immigration : Bruno Retailleau veut revenir sur la circulaire Valls qui permet de régulariser 30 000 clandestins chaque année". Valeurs actuelles. October 10, 2024.
  38. ^ Stuart Lau (January 25, 2021), G7 lawmakers tell leaders to ‘stand up’ to China Politico Europe.
  39. ^ «Après la Françafrique, sommes-nous condamnés à l'effacement de la France en Afrique ?» Le Figaro, 7 August 2023.
  40. ^ Gavin Mortimer (9 August 2023), Macron can’t escape blame for France’s failures in Africa The Spectator.
  41. ^ Grépinet, Mariana (2017-04-26). "" Les révélations de la campagne "". Paris Match (in French): 32–33.
  42. ^ "Bruno Retailleau, passionné d'équitation". LEFIGARO (in French). 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  43. ^ Emery, Audrey (2015-05-18). "Régionales 2015 : la face cachée de Retailleau". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  44. ^ "" Retailleau a été metteur en scène de la Cinéscénie "". ouest-france.fr (in French). 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
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