Fabrice Leggeri, former head of Frontex, and Sébastien Chenu, vice-president of the National Rally, would be best placed to occupy the post of Minister of the Interior in the event of a victory by the RN in the second round of the early legislative elections.
The National Rally came out on top in the first round of early legislative elections on June 30. Enough to strengthen the legitimacy of the formation of a hypothetical Bardella government internally. One thing is certain, the question of a new Minister of the Interior, a very important and strategic position in a government team, is being raised in the ranks of the RN. For the time being, it is difficult to determine who will be elected. Indeed, the party has not left the slightest doubt about the figure who could embody the Top Cop of France.
If the party wins the legislative elections on 7 July and an RN government is formed, the appointment of MEP Fabrice Leggeri as Minister of the Interior could arise. A 55-year-old senior civil servant, Fabrice Leggeri has notably studied at the ENA and the ENS. He then joined the Ministry of the Interior in 1996, then became head of Frontex, the‘European Border and Coast Guard Agency, in 2015, particularly “in the cross-border traffic, borders and visas section” explains Marianne. An appointment “on the proposal of the socialist Interior Minister (at the time) Bernard Cazeneuve” reveals MediapartA position he held until his resignation in 2022.
Fabrice Leggeri targeted by several procedures
A disciplinary investigation by OLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office, notably forced him to resign from Frontex. A report accused him of “not having respected procedures and of having shown himself to be disloyal towards the European Union”. After his resignation, OLAF is said to have investigated “possible misconduct and/or irregularities in the functioning and internal management committed” by the director or “by other members of the company’s staff”. OLAF also asked Frontex “to initiate appropriate disciplinary procedures” because of “his behaviour and actions towards three members of the agency, including the former deputy executive director”. According to the same report, Fabrice Leggeri had, between 2017 and 2021, “a management style based on excessive micromanagement and centralisation of the decision-making process, as well as on distrust of staff”. It is said to have had a “negative impact” on the working atmosphere and the “well-being” of staff.
And the least we can say is that Fabrice Leggeri had received unwavering support from the head of the RN, Marine Le Pen, particularly in the case of complicity in crimes against humanity and complicity in the crime of torture, accusing Fabrice Leggeri of having participated in the pushback of migrant boats by the Greek authorities towards Turkey but also in the interceptions of migrants who were trying to reach Italy by Libyan coastguards. Marine Le Pen had given her support to Fabrice Leggeri on X: “the far-left associations, supporters of migratory submersion and accomplices of the people smugglers, want to silence those who defend the principle of border control” she had declared last April.
Sébastien Chenu, an RN tenor in the discussion?
A position as Minister of the Interior that could also be entrusted to a party leader, Sébastien Chenu. Vice-president of the National Rally since 2022 and vice-president of the National Assembly from 2022 to June 9, 2024, until the dissolution by Emmanuel Macron, the 51-year-old has extensive experience in politics and the trust of Marine Le Pen. A ministry could be entrusted to him, why not that of the Interior, or even the presidency of the National Assembly. According to information from BFMTV, he could well hope for a promotion in the ranks of the RN.
Vice-president of the Beauvais urban community, deputy mayor of Beauvais and then regional councillor for Hauts-de-France, Sébastien Chenu, after many years in the ranks of the UMP, joined the National Front in 2014 and became a French MP under the RN banner in 2017. Regarding a possible ministerial position if the National Rally were to win the next legislative elections, the main person concerned prefers to play the pragmatism card: “Marine Le Pen will prepare to become President of the Republic” during the next two years. “I will be what Marine Le Pen wants,” he specified.
On June 13, the LR president at the initiative of the Rally of the Right and a rapprochement with the RN, Eric Ciotti, stated that if Jordan Bardella were elected as “Prime Minister, LR elected officials will be in the government”. Much criticized, the leader of the French right also indicated that the post of Minister of the Interior had not been promised to him. The latter will also have to face an investigation opened for “misappropriation of public funds” targeting his campaign for the 2022 legislative elections, indicated on Monday, June 17 Le FigaroAn investigation opened on May 31, following a report from the local representative in the Alpes-Maritimes of the anti-corruption association Anticor.