Right-winger Ciotti wins French conservative party leadership
Ciotti, who is on record as saying he wants to stop what he calls a "migratory invasion" of France, won 53.7% of the votes against senator Bruno Retailleau, who scored 46.3%.
RightRight-winger Eric Ciotti was elected as the next leader of France's formerly heavyweight conservative Les Republicains (LR) party after winning the second round ballot of party members on Sunday, reports SWI swissinfo.ch.
Ciotti, who is on record as saying he wants to stop what he calls a "migratory invasion" of France, won 53.7% of the votes against Bruno Retailleau, a senator who scored 46.3%, LR acting chairwoman Annie Genevard said.
Although LR and its predecessors have governed France for much of its post-war history, it has been squeezed between centrist President Emmanuel Macron on one side and the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen on the other.