Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and former prime minister Edouard Philippe, in Lille, on March 16, 2025. JULIEN MUGUET FOR LE MONDE
Before becoming France's finance minister, Roland Lescure once tried to draw up a list of aspiring candidates in the 2027 presidential election. His list reached 37 potential contenders. The field has never been so open a year and a half ahead of the election, especially within the president's camp, with Emmanuel Macron constitutionally prevented from running for a third consecutive term.
Within the centrist bloc, which had been weakened by internal divisions and Macron's growing unpopularity, no "natural" candidate has emerged for the time being. The only figure to have declared his candidacy so far is Macron's first prime minister (2017-2020), Edouard Philippe, who was, until recently, considered the frontrunner. The mayor of Le Havre, Normandy, has spent the past year preparing his future campaign while staying out of the limelight, merely promising to unveil a "massive program" after the municipal elections in March 2026.
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