"I will do my duty": Bruno Retailleau responds to Laurent Wauquiez and assures that he will not leave the government

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau responds to his opponent for the presidency of the Republicans, Laurent Wauquiez , head of the Republican deputies, and assures that he will remain in the government, this Sunday, May 4 in La Tribune Dimanche.

"I will do my duty and give the best of myself," assures the minister, who believes that "when you love your country, when you see France on the brink of chaos, you do not shy away from your responsibilities."

Bruno Retailleau, however, acknowledges at the same time that "today, the political conditions are not ideal since there is no majority in the National Assembly," since the dissolution of the National Assembly in June 2024.

Laurent Wauquiez expressed his doubts on Saturday in an interview with the JDD regarding the feasibility of Bruno Retailleau remaining a minister while becoming president of the Les Républicains party.

"One cannot be a member of François Bayrou's government and independently speak for the Republicans," believes the Haute-Loire MP.

"My conviction is that being Minister of the Interior today, with the explosion of immigration and insecurity, is a full-time job. (...) You can't do everything," he also maintains.

"This is why I propose that together, with Bruno Retailleau, we embody a strong and complementary duo, him in the ministry, me in the party," suggests Laurent Wauquiez, who, like Bruno Retailleau, covets the LR presidency.

Bruno Retailleau believes that the only factor that could jeopardize his party's presence in the executive would be if the "core convictions" of LR and the "fundamental interests of our nation" were "thwarted," without elaborating. "For the moment, this is not the case," he immediately asserts.

The minister also claims to have "free speech," even though he is not of the same political stripe as the head of government. "You only have to look at the controversies my positions have sometimes provoked," he says.

Asked about Laurent Wauquiez, the Interior Minister deplored his opponent's attacks. "You don't need to undermine your rival to try to raise your profile," he chided.

The former senator nevertheless assures that he will "associate" Laurent Wauquiez with "the governance of (their) political family." "The winner has a duty: to unite," he swears.

Laurent Wauquiez had already put pressure on his rival for the party presidency on April 27 on BFMTV. Citing a supposed lack of "independence" of the Beauvau resident, who was allegedly bound by government solidarity, the Haute-Loire MP maintained that he, for his part, benefited from "free speech" by not being a minister.

"I am a man of convictions. I would never stay if my convictions were damaged, simply," Retailleau replied a few hours later on our set.

The Republican presidential race has nearly tripled the party's membership : 121,617 will be able to decide between the two candidates at a convention in mid-May, the party announced in a statement Wednesday. This rapid increase makes the outcome of the election uncertain.