Les Républicains face internal rift over senatorial elections

Internal conflicts within the Les Républicains (LR) party have intensified ahead of the senatorial elections in Bouches-du-Rhône. Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, has publicly criticized party leader Bruno Retailleau for supporting a dissident list led by Valérie Boyer.

This move contradicts the decision of the LR national investiture commission, which had officially endorsed a different list led by Brigitte Devésa, with Muselier in the second position. Muselier accused Retailleau of acting against the party's own established processes.

Gérard Larcher, President of the Senate, intervened by issuing a letter to reaffirm that the Devésa-Muselier list held the official party investiture with the support of the senatorial majority. The dispute highlights growing tensions between the party leadership and various factions of the right and center as national political stakes rise.