Bruno Retailleau launches presidential campaign with first Paris meeting

On Saturday 20 June 2026, Bruno Retailleau, the Les Républicains candidate for the 2027 French presidential election, held his first campaign rally at the Parc Floral in the Bois de Vincennes, Paris. The event, expected to draw between 4 000 and 6 000 supporters despite a heat wave, was meant to generate momentum for a candidate polling around 9‑10 % and lagging behind centre‑right contenders Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal.

Retailleau’s hour‑long speech repeated the pledge to « remettre la France à l’endroit » and outlined policy proposals such as higher wages, a sharp cut in electricity bills and a “shock of supply” to create one million new homes. He attacked “macronism” and the left, while urging a move out of the “case réac”. Senior party figures – Senate president Gérard Larcher, Île‑de‑France president Valérie Pécresse, former prime minister Michel Barnier and former mayor François Baroin – were present, whereas Laurent Wauquiez, Xavier Bertrand and Jean‑François Copé stayed away.

Franco‑Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, recently freed from Algerian detention, sat in the front row and voiced support for Retailleau, reinforcing the candidate’s emphasis on law‑and‑order and freedom of expression. The rally was billed as a demonstration of party unity, even as internal dissent and notable absences hinted at ongoing challenges for Retailleau’s bid.