About 30 Candidates Express Interest in 2027 French Presidential Election

About 30 people, nearly all men, have expressed interest in running for president of France in the 2027 election. Many of those potential candidates have said their main goal is to prevent the far-right National Rally from winning power. The National Rally is currently the largest opposition party in parliament and leads in polls.

At a meeting hall in Paris this week, hundreds of leftwing voters gathered despite rainy weather. They chanted "Unity! " while marking the 90th anniversary of France's Popular Front, a leftwing alliance formed in the 1930s. The attendees expressed immediate concerns about the National Rally's rising support.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, cannot run for a third consecutive term under the constitution. This has opened the field more than at any time in the past decade. The political discussion has centered on which candidates might be best positioned to compete against National Rally leader Marine Le Pen or her associate Jordan Bardella.

Leftwing parties at the Paris gathering, including the Socialist party, the Greens and smaller groups, said they would continue with plans for a primary in October. The aim is to select a single candidate and recreate the New Popular Front alliance that opposed the National Rally in the 2024 parliamentary election.

Several prominent figures on the left have signaled they may run independently. Jean-Luc Mélenchon announced this week that he would seek the presidency for a fourth time. The 74-year-old leader of La France Insoumise finished third in the 2022 election.

Other potential leftwing candidates include Raphaël Glucksmann, a centre-left member of the European parliament, and former Socialist president François Hollande.

Pen is waiting for an appeal verdict scheduled for 7 July. The court will decide whether her conviction for embezzlement of European parliament funds and the resulting ban from running for office will stand. If the ban is upheld, Jordan Bardella, 30, would be the National Rally's candidate.

Both are polling strongly. On the center and right, multiple figures have indicated they will run. Edouard Philippe, Macron's first prime minister, plans to stand on a center-right ticket. Gabriel Attal wants to represent Macron's Renaissance party but faces competition from others including justice minister Gérald Darmanin.

Several candidates are also competing for the Les Républicains nomination, among them Bruno Retailleau, Laurent Wauquiez and David Lisnard. Former prime minister Dominique de Villepin has also said he will seek the presidency. Candidates from across the spectrum will need to secure signatures from 500 elected officials to qualify for the ballot.

" Antoine Bristielle, director of opinion at the Fondation Jean-Jaurès thinktank, said candidates should address French voters' desire for detailed discussion of social and economic policies. Polling by Ipsos last month found that 74 percent of French voters want either radical transformation or deep changes in the country.

The top concerns reported by voters include access to healthcare, the cost of living and the social security system. Bristielle noted that these socioeconomic issues have not been at the center of the current political debate.