Senior figure has set up Humanist France and is attracting support due to his criticisms of Israel’s actions in Gaza
The former French prime minister and foreign policy chief Dominique de Villepin has launched a political party called Humanist France, with a view to a possible bid for the French presidency in 2027.
De Villepin, who was prime minister under the rightwing president Jacques Chirac from 2005 to 2007, is best known for his dramatic speech to the United Nations in 2003, setting out France’s opposition to a US-led Iraq war and warning of the “incalculable consequences” of military action in the region.
Despite leaving French politics over a decade ago, de Villepin has enjoyed a significant increase in popularity after recent media appearances criticising Israel’s war in Gaza. He has said the west is “closing its eyes” to what he called a scandalous “spiral of violence” and rising civilian deaths.
Recent polls showed de Villepin’s stance on the Middle East crisis has made him the most popular politician in France – and that he is particularly liked by leftwing voters, despite having led a rightwing government.
