Darmanin, potential successor to Macron, makes pitch to working class

FILE PHOTO: French Interior and Overseas Minister Gerald Darmanin attends the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, July 4, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin staged his first rally on Sunday with an appeal to working class voters in what political opponents saw as the start of the race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron.

The constitution bars Macron from running for a third term and potential candidates in the centre-right camp - including Darmanin, but also former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire - are already positioning themselves for the 2027 ballot.