Member of Parliament Eric Ciotti, 57, is elected the new leader of conservative Republicans in France. The politician won Sunday’s runoff against group leader Bruno Retailleau (62) in the Senate. According to interim party leader Annie Genevard, Ciotti, who represents the ultra-conservative wing of the party, received 53.7 percent of the vote.
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy (67) and Christian Jacob (63) had resigned at the end of June.
Ciotti, who has taken a tough stance on immigration policy, now faces the challenge of getting his party out of the crisis after a disappointing performance in the presidential election. Republican candidate Valérie Pécresse, 55, received only 4.8 percent of the vote in the first round of the April presidential election. (AFP/chs)