Éric Ciotti urges Bruno Retailleau to join Le Pen alliance for 2027 election

Call for right-wing convergence

During an appearance on BFM Politique on Sunday, 20 September 2026, UDR president and Mayor of Nice Éric Ciotti urged Les Républicains leader Bruno Retailleau to join his alliance with Marine Le Pen ahead of the presidential election. Ciotti argued that Retailleau, who took over the leadership of Les Républicains in 2025 and became its presidential candidate, faces weak electoral prospects. Opinion surveys credit Retailleau with between 6% and 12% of voter intentions depending on the configuration, which Ciotti claimed leaves him incapable of qualifying for a second-round runoff. Ciotti insisted that conservative and far-right forces must combine their efforts behind Le Pen rather than maintaining divided candidacies.

We can clearly see that his initiative is not prospering, because he cannot claim victory in the second round. The moment has come to summon courage, to unite forces.

Warnings over potential centrist alignment

Ciotti voiced concerns that Retailleau could eventually yield to internal pressure and align with Horizons candidate Édouard Philippe, a figure Ciotti refused to describe as right-wing. Ciotti pointed to party figures who previously opposed him, naming Valérie Pécresse, Jean-François Copé, Xavier Bertrand, and Gérard Larcher as representatives of a political establishment pulling the party toward the center. He predicted that calls for Retailleau to withdraw from the presidential race will multiply following the senatorial elections scheduled for 27 September 2026. Ciotti warned that Les Républicains risks a formal split, with one faction joining Philippe and another defecting to the UDR, which he described as the sole remaining Gaullist movement.

I am telling him to return to a strong, courageous, bold home of the right and to overturn the table.

Municipal tenure and national policy model

Addressing his own future, Ciotti confirmed he will not seek a ministerial post if Marine Le Pen wins the presidency, committing to remain Mayor of Nice. Ciotti led Les Républicains from 2022 to 2024 before breaking with party leadership to form an electoral pact with the Rassemblement National during the snap legislative elections. In March 2026, Ciotti won the Nice municipal runoff with 48.54% of the vote, defeating incumbent mayor Christian Estrosi, who secured 37.20%, and left-wing candidate Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux, who took 14.26%. Ciotti maintained that his local administration has lowered taxes and reduced spending over the past six months, arguing that these municipal policies should serve as an economic blueprint for a future national government.

Rassemblement National response

The Rassemblement National addressed the prospect of Retailleau joining the right-wing alliance during Sunday broadcasts. Speaking on Le Grand Jury RTL/M6/Public Sénat/Ouest France, Perpignan mayor and Rassemblement National vice president Louis Aliot stated that he remained in an expectant stance regarding Retailleau, adding that the Les Républicains leader should naturally turn toward them. Earlier in April 2026, following his municipal victory in Nice, Ciotti had stated that Retailleau would ally with Philippe in December 2026 or January 2027. Ciotti had further asserted that the independent party he once led had disappeared, characterizing the current organization as a minor party aligned with the governing majority.