It is a new version of Star Wars, those that adorn the epaulettes of a quartet of gendarmerie generals. Xavier Ducept, Bruno Arviset, Hubert Bonneau or Tony Mouchet: which of these senior officers will succeed the outgoing director general of the National Gendarmerie (DGGN), Christian Rodríguez, retired since September 29, after five years – a record – at the helm of the institution? The result of the consultations initiated in the Ministry of the Interior should not be officially known before Wednesday, October 16, the date of the next council of ministers. But it will mark the epilogue of an endless nomination process for this disputed position, between self-interested predictions and secret struggles for influence.
In theory, by virtue of custom and not regulation, Major General André Pétillot, number two of the gendarmerie, should have replaced his boss and now former director general, Christian Rodríguez. But, before leaving office, Mr. Rodríguez did not want to extend this succession privilege to his right arm: without being cold, the relations between the two men still have a certain freshness. A question of temperament, without a doubt, since the first cultivates a good-natured air while the second embodies a very military rigidity, which sometimes a touch of irritating humor changes. Of course, too: in 2023, Gérald Darmanin, then Minister of the Interior, imposed Pétillot’s company on Rodríguez, whose preference was, publicly known, for General Tony Mouchet, a former combat helicopter pilot.
In the spring, in place of Pétillot, Rodríguez appointed Xavier Ducept, head of the gendarmes of Ile-de-France, as his successor. The choice is validated by Gérald Darmanin, who sends the request to the Elysée. “There is no issueThe minister’s entourage insisted at that time. Everyone agrees on the Ducept case. » Almost all. Because, within the gendarmerie, if we consider that Mr. Ducept presents all the necessary qualities to aspire to the highest positions, starting with a CV dotted with diplomas and prestigious positions, we also observe that he has never held general management. with the exception of a stint in the international relations division, between 2001 and 2003. However, a posting in the heart of the institution’s reactor, where they rub shoulders with finance, foreign missions or communication, is considered crucial on the resume of a future CEO.
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