With 84 votes, or 51.2% of the total, Frenchman Lucas Philippe, chief superintendent and advisor on European and international affairs at the French National Police Directorate, defeated Turkey's Mustafa Serkan Sabanca (60 votes), Namibia's Anne-Marie Nainda (12 votes), and Ethiopia's Demelash Gebremicheal Wewdeyes (8 votes). He succeeds Emirati Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, following a vote organized according to the principle of one country, one vote.

In a statement to Le360, the new Interpol president emphasized that he is very happy to be elected in Morocco, a country that has long held a special place in his heart.

I became president today, with the strong support of Morocco. I am very happy to celebrate this shared victory, which marks the beginning of a somewhat new era, while also building on the previous era led by President Al-Raisi, who structured the organization and introduced many technologies.

A mandate focused on anticipation and people

When asked about the initial outlines of his roadmap, Lucas Philippe reiterated that his guidelines stemmed from work conducted with member states. “My priorities for the next four years are those already expressed by the member states and the organization. I enriched this plan with the small survey I carried out during my campaign. Because I ran a truly global campaign, I spoke to almost every country,” he stated.

From this global consultation, he notes that people want to make Interpol a hub for anticipating threats and skills, that is to say, better structuring all this wealth we have with 196 countries.

For him, this mission will begin with a refocusing on the women and men who make up the organization."We want to put people back at the heart of the system," he said, emphasizing Interpol's cultural and geographical diversity.

I will be a president attentive to nuances… someone who will pay attention to balances, to cultures, he asserts, also claiming his ability to articulate strategy and operations. I am also a police commissioner who is used to assessing the relationship between the strategic and the operational, he continues.

Describing himself as an Interpolian, Lucas Philippe claims to embody the very diversity of the Organization. “I am Asian because I have lived in Asia, I am African because I love Africa. I am also American because of the energy that Americans have given me, and I am European by birth and proud to synthesize all these nuances,” he summarizes.

This composite identity, he said, will be an asset in uniting member states around common objectives: security, anticipation, cooperation.

A new era begins in Marrakech

As president, Lucas Philippe will chair the meetings of the Executive Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of decisions adopted by the General Assembly. This part-time, unpaid position also requires constant communication with the Secretary General to ensure that all the organization's actions comply with the decisions voted on.

For Lucas Philippe, the starting point is set: Marrakech marks the opening of a new phase in Interpol's history. An era he wants to be ambitious, based on tangible things, achieved daily thanks to teams chosen for their efficiency.

And this new dynamic bears the imprint of the Kingdom, a country he has consistently thanked. Security is peace... A simple formula that sums up the spirit with which he intends to approach his mandate, a mandate born, as he repeats, here, with Morocco.