French minister Retailleau breaks with Macron as 2027 succession race heats up

French President Emmanuel Macron and French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau attend an event at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, November 5, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) -French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau delivered a stern rebuke of President Emmanuel Macron's political legacy in an interview published on Wednesday, breaking with his boss to stake his claim as his potential successor in the 2027 election.

Less than two years before the end of Macron's second term, after which he can't immediately seek reelection, an increasingly crowded group of potential candidates to succeed the French leader is starting to emerge.