Presidential election 2027. Philippe urges the right and the center to come together before it is “too late”

Edouard Philippe estimated on BFMTV on Saturday that the candidates from the right and the center, who are “destined to come together”, will do so “somewhere between November and February”, while warning not to miss the boat. While several ambitions are flourishing on the right and in the center, notably with the candidacies of Bruno Retailleau (LR) and Gabriel Attal (Renaissance), the former Prime Minister predicted that the tie-breaker will occur “somewhere between November and February”.

“If it’s later, it will be too late. Already, February is late,” he argued, while Gabriel Attal for his part called for waiting at least until “the beginning of 2027”. For the mayor of Le Havre, currently on a campaign trip to Mayotte and Reunion, this gathering is essential, to counter the already firmly established candidacies of Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “I consider that all those who traditionally classify themselves in the camp of the right (…) and the center, have a vocation to work together, to come together if they want to prevail, if they want to convince the French (…). None of us will succeed if we think that success comes from war or fighting against others or from solitary calculation,” he warned.

A question of timing

If many in this political space draw the same observation, the timing and method of tie-breaking are debated. Attal recently insisted on the importance of polls, but Mr. Philippe instead talks about “the dynamics, the words, the outfit, the campaign. A campaign is not a succession of polls.” “The French will see the personalities, they will see the way of speaking, the style, what we want to do, who we propose to do it with. And gradually, they will decide. And that’s what a campaign is for,” he argued.

As for the calendar, “before time, it is not time. After the hour, it’s no longer the time. And when is it after the hour? I don’t know, but I know that once the hour has passed, it will be too late,” warned the Horizons candidate. “But it will happen,” he wants to believe. “Because I believe that all political leaders within this space are responsible. » Asked about a possible candidacy from Sébastien Lecornu, to whom he is close, Mr. Philippe said he did not believe it. “Knowing him as I know him, knowing the situation he finds himself in today being prime minister, I don’t think he’s interested in it or preparing for it,” he said.