Former French Prime Ministers Gabriel Attal and Édouard Philippe face growing pressure to hold a center-right primary for the 2027 presidential election, amidst fears that competing candidacies could eliminate both candidates in the first round.
An LCI poll published on August 26 indicated that far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen would advance to the second round if both former prime ministers enter the race simultaneously. Supporters of the Macronist camp are urging a single primary of the right and center to maximize the chances of securing a spot in the runoff.
With less than eight months remaining before the presidential vote, political analysts warn that no candidate from the presidential majority can currently guarantee passage to the runoff. LCI political editorialist David Revault D'Allonnes said that Attal, Philippe, and Bruno Retailleau are all competing for roughly the same voters and aggressively courting center-right electors, with none of the contenders willing to yield.
Rival Campaigns on the Ground
Philippe and Attal are continuing their separate campaign operations across France. Revault D'Allonnes observed that Philippe is heavily courting his former political party, Les Républicains. During recent campaign stops, Philippe focused on illegal immigration in the overseas department of Mayotte, tackled insecurity and drug trafficking in La Réunion, advocated for state fiscal discipline before the Medef business federation, and proposed reductions to unemployment benefits.
In contrast, Revault D'Allonnes described Attal as being active on all fronts, relying on a series of high-profile initiatives, splashy announcements, and media strategy to capture voter attention. Attal served as Prime Minister under President Emmanuel Macron earlier in 2024 and leads the ruling Renaissance party, while Philippe, who served as Prime Minister from 2017 to 2020, leads the Horizons movement.
Calls for a Primary Stall
Despite warnings over voter fragmentation, efforts to organize a unified primary remain unlikely to succeed in the near term. Revault D'Allonnes noted that while the threat of a Mélenchon-Le Pen runoff has prompted calls for a center-right primary, there is currently little chance that either candidate will agree to stand down or participate in a joint nomination process.
