Olivier Faure, the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party, has officially declared his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election, confirming he will run in a left-wing primary this autumn.
Speaking on the TF1 television network during the Sunday evening news broadcast on August 30, Faure announced his intention to seek the presidency, explaining that he wanted to build a fairer France. His television appearance followed a speech focusing on policy issues that he delivered the previous day at the Socialist Party's summer university gathering in the central city of Blois, where he predicted the collapse of the country's centrist political bloc.
France is gearing up for the 2027 presidential election to choose a successor to Emmanuel Macron, who is constitutionally limited to two consecutive terms. As the political landscape shifts, the Socialist Party and the political party of Member of the European Parliament Raphaël Glucksmann are organizing a joint social-democratic primary in the autumn to select a unified candidate for the upcoming campaign.
Working-class roots
During his live, in-studio interview with news anchor Anne-Claire Coudray, Faure emphasized his modest upbringing, drawing a contrast with Glucksmann, who is viewed as his future opponent in the primary. Faure explained that his political awareness was born from his own childhood, noting that he grew up in a working-class neighbourhood where he saw that work did not pay.
Describing himself as a child of the middle class, Faure stated he had never forgotten his roots. Furthermore, Faure said he was a child of immigration who became engaged in politics to fight against racism.
The Socialist leader outlined several key policy proposals that would form the basis of his presidential platform. These measures included implementing free breakfasts for school students, guaranteeing the right to go on holiday, and raising wages. On environmental policy, Faure proposed strict business regulations, suggesting it should be impossible for companies to distribute dividends if they fail to commit to an ecological transition.
Disregarding the polls
Coudray questioned Faure on his decision to run instead of supporting Glucksmann, who currently performs better in voter opinion polls. In response, Faure dismissed the significance of early polling, arguing that if surveys were the election, they should stop holding elections.
To illustrate his point that nothing ever happens as planned in politics, Faure listed several prominent French political figures whose strong early poll numbers failed to translate into presidential victories. He pointed out that if one had to rely on polls, former prime ministers Raymond Barre, Edouard Balladur, Alain Juppé, and François Fillon would have been elected, along with others he was forgetting. Faure also cited former Socialist President François Hollande as another example of electoral unpredictability.
Ruling out a Mélenchon alliance
Addressing the wider political landscape on the left, Faure firmly ruled out any potential electoral agreement with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the hard-left La France Insoumise party. Because both he and Mélenchon have declared themselves as presidential candidates, Faure stated that an alliance between them was impossible.
However, the TF1 broadcast noted that Faure's stance on La France Insoumise was less categorical than that of Glucksmann, who has expressed a much stricter refusal to align with Mélenchon's party.
Taking things one step at a time, Faure said his priority was battling the political right and the extreme right. He added that he was tired of a left wing that speaks exclusively about fighting with the left. Faure said his absolute obsession was ensuring that next year they do not end up with the heir to the Le Pen political dynasty at the Elysée presidential palace, referring to the far-right National Rally party historically led by Marine Le Pen and her father Jean-Marie Le Pen.
