“He draws a line under the President of the Republic”: Edouard Philippe's candidacy for the Elysée creates a stir

Édouard Philippe se “prépare à une présidentielle anticipée”. MAXPPP – CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

The mayor of Le Havre declared himself a candidate for the presidential election on Tuesday evening, an announcement that has since caused a reaction in the political class.

Édouard Philippe's candidacy for the Élysée Palace caused a reaction on Wednesday from the entire political class, where many see it as a sign of the end of “Macronism” while the head of state remains bogged down in long negotiations to find a Prime Minister.

In an interview with Le Point published Tuesday evening, the former Prime Minister and Mayor of Le Havre announced that he would be “candidate for the next presidential election”, without specifically mentioning 2027. Prime Minister of Emmanuel Macron from 2017 to 2020, president of the center-right movement Horizons, he is among the most popular political figures.

If Édouard Philippe has never made a secret of his ambitions, the timing, in the midst of a political crisis, was surprising. “Seeing that it is a former Prime Minister of Emmanuel Macron who draws a line under the President of the Republic and who considers that “Macronism” is over, well, that says something about the period”, commented on TF1 the first secretary of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure.

“Not in the timing”

The president of the Republicans group in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau, followed suit on BFMTV/RMC: “It's not in the timing. This clearly marks the end of “Macronism”, we have entered another period.”

On the left, La France insoumise (LFI) sees this announcement as an illustration of the “Macronist chaos”.

“Édouard Philippe declares his candidacy for the presidential election to take Attal by surprise, himself in a latent war with Macron, ironizes on X Antoine Léaument, LFI deputy. CDo people remember that politics is not a game ? France is a great country, not a casino."

"A doubly clumsy exit"

On France 2, Éric Ciotti, a conservative allied with the National Rally (RN), described Édouard Philippe on Wednesday as a "paragon of an arrogant technocracy that does not listen to the people".

The supporters of the head of state are, for their part, bitter. "It is a doubly clumsy statement: on the timing, three years before the election, and on his insinuations that he is in fact preparing for an early presidential election", deplores a Renaissance executive quoted by France Info.