‘Restore order’: France's new Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau signals rightward shift
Staunch conservative Bruno Retailleau has quickly shown his hardliner credentials as France’s new interior minister by taking a tough stance on immigration, crime and defending secularism.
“I have three priorities: restoring order, restoring order, restoring order,” said Bruno Retailleau as he took on his new role as France's interior minister on Monday.
"French people want more order – order in the streets, order at the borders," he added.
The veteran politician from the Les Républicains (LR) party is one of the few faces people may recognise in Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s new cabinet, and has long been a driving force behind his party's rightward shift.
As interior minister, Retailleau will handle critical domestic issues like national security, immigration and law enforcement issues on which he has criticised "laxness" in the outgoing administration.
Retailleau was first elected to the National Assembly in 1994 and has represented the Vendée department in the Senate for the past 20 years, serving as president of the LR senatorial group since 2014.
He is known to hold hard-right views and has said his vision for Les Républicains is that it be “capable of bringing together all right-wing voters”.
While the promises may sound bold, they are also familiar.
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
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