Janice R. Andrews
Edouard Philippe, France’s former prime minister, has officially started his campaign for president in 2027. This adds to the political chaos that has been going on in the country since the recent snap elections for parliament. The news on Tuesday comes at a time when President Emmanuel Macron is having a hard time navigating a shattered political scene after the early elections in July, where his party did poorly.
Philippe was Macron’s first prime minister from 2017 to 2020. He is still well-liked even though he is no longer in office. His run for office is likely to make Macron’s efforts to fix the government more difficult as he tries to find a prime minister who can win support from the National Assembly, which is very split. After the early elections, Macron’s centrist party and its partners did not have a clear majority. The left-wing alliance now has the most seats, followed by Macron’s centrists and the far-right.
Philippe made it clear that he was ready to lead France by telling the magazine Le Point, “I’m getting ready to propose things to the French.” What I want to do will be huge. The French will make the choice. He said that he was fully committed to the presidential race and that he would not be distracted by anything that Macron might do, even if he decided to step down.
Macron has been in multiple rounds of talks to form a new government, but Philippe’s move makes things even harder for him. The largest group in the hung house was the leftist alliance, but it has refused to help form a government since Macron turned down its choice for prime minister. Macron has said that he is ready to work with anyone who wants to do what’s best for the country, but no progress has been made in the talks so far.
Philippe is getting ready to run for office and has made himself sound like a unifying figure by saying he would back “any prime minister chosen from a political space ranging from the conservative right to social democracy.” If he runs for president, it could change the way politics work in France and make the 2027 presidential election very close.
