The President of France’s main centre-right party, Les Républicains (LR), has categorically ruled out any electoral pact with Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN) or other right-wing actors for the 2027 presidential election.
In an interview broadcast on France Inter this morning, Bruno Retailleau declared that both Le Pen and Éric Zemmour, President of the Reconquête party, “will be my adversaries.”
He rejected suggestions of co-operation with the nationalist Right, stating: “We have never done it. Why would we do it tomorrow?”
Retailleau, who has led LR since 2025, responded to growing internal and external pressure for clarity on the party’s strategy.
Some LR figures, including former party president Éric Ciotti, have pursued local alliances with the RN, notably in recent municipal elections such as in Nice. The national leadership, though, has consistently drawn a line against formal national-level co-operation.
Referring to longstanding accusations from the Left, Retailleau said: “Since Mitterrand, the Left has tried to paralyse the Right by saying that whenever we want to be firm on immigration, security or justice, these are fascist behaviours and that we are ready to ally with the Rassemblement National. We have never done it. Why would we do it tomorrow?”
He argued instead for a “union of the Right by the voters, in the voting boxes”, aiming to attract disillusioned supporters of French President Emmanuel Macron, abstentionists and even some former RN or Reconquête voters through a strong, distinctive programme rather than negotiated alliances.
The remarks come amid ongoing debates within LR following mixed results in the 2026 municipal elections.
While the party claimed symbolic victories in several cities, it struggled in major urban centres and faced controversy over its ambiguous stance in places such as Nice, where Retailleau refused explicitly to back the official LR-endorsed candidate against Ciotti’s RN-allied list.
Retailleau expressed frustration with repeated questions on the topic, saying he was “tired” of the debate.
He confirmed that LR members will decide on April 18 whether to hold an open or closed primary to select the party’s 2027 candidate and that he would participate if a primary is chosen.
Retailleau ‘s position maintains a clear separation between what has been known as the traditional centre-right and the nationalist Right, despite shared ground on issues such as immigration and security.
It also contrasts with voices inside the broader right-wing ecosystem calling for a wider “union of the Rights” to challenge both Macron’s centrist bloc and the Left.
On the Left, no such fractures exist and Socialists and Greens have little issue working with La France Insoumise, despite the latter’s many problematic stances and attitudes, including anti-Semitism and close ties to violent Antifa-related militias.
La France Insoumise party has refused to sever ties or condemn the dissolved anti-fascist group La Jeune Garde following the death of 23-year-old Quentin Deranque, portraying it as a defensive force against far-right threats. https://t.co/PxAmyB1JEE
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) February 18, 2026
