French minister Darmanin warns of risk of Marine Le Pen victory in next election

FILE PHOTO: French Interior and Overseas Minister Gerald Darmanin arrives to attend the weekly cabinet meeting, after a government reshuffle, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/file photo

PARIS (Reuters) - French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin - whom President Nicolas Sarkozy said would be a good future head of state - warned on Friday of the risk that far-right politician Marine Le Pen could win the next presidential election in 2027.

Darmanin gave interviews to both La Voix du Nord paper and RTL radio on Friday, as he prepared to host a political meeting on Sunday. Le Pen lost to President Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the 2022 election, echoing an identical outcome in the 2017 vote.