Laurent Wauquiez, the head of the right-wing LR deputies, publicly congratulated Bruno Retailleau after suffering a significant defeat in the election for the presidency of Les Républicains.

Retailleau secured 74.31% of the votes, while Wauquiez garnered only 25.69%.

Wauquiez delivered his remarks approximately thirty minutes after the election results were announced from his constituency in Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire.

In his address, Wauquiez expressed appreciation for the respectful and committed nature of the electoral campaign.

He conveyed his best wishes to Retailleau, stating, 'I send him all my wishes for success in the mission that will be his.' Wauquiez emphasized the importance of unity within the party, noting the detrimental effects of division in the past.

He stated, 'I have always said that we must gather rather than divide.

We must be united to win because divided, we are sure to lose.' Wauquiez also called for the consolidation of 'the entire right' to promote a 'project of rupture and a true project of alternation' in French politics.

Furthermore, he urged the Minister of the Interior to avoid diluting the identity of the right-wing party within what he referred to as 'macronism.' This implies that Wauquiez perceives a risk of the party becoming too aligned with the centrist policies of President Emmanuel Macron's administration.

The transition of leadership within Les Républicains sees Retailleau taking on the role of president, marking him as the tenth individual to lead the principal right-wing party in France.

The election reflects ongoing ideological debates within the party as it navigates its position in the current political landscape.