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🇫🇷 France /Elections & Politics

2027 presidential race: Bregeon urges Attal and Retailleau to back Philippe “as soon as possible”

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • Marine Le Pen proposed freezing tobacco taxes and ending their automatic link to inflation in an open letter to French tobacconists.
  • Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel formally announced his candidacy for France’s 2027 presidential election after securing party members’ support.
  • Former Prime Minister Ségolène Royal said she had obtained the endorsements needed for a Socialist primary, while Gabriel Attal continues campaigning despite trailing Édouard Philippe in polling.

Marine Le Pen has backed a freeze on tobacco taxes, presenting the measure as a way to protect tobacconists and halt what she called an escalating tax burden.

In an open letter to tobacconists published by the National Rally on Sunday evening, Le Pen said a planned national mobilisation by the sector was “totally legitimate.” The Confederation of Tobacconists has called the mobilisation to defend local shops and communities against rising tobacco prices and the growth of the parallel cigarette market.

Le Pen proposed freezing tobacco taxes and removing the automatic link between tobacco prices and inflation. “The permanent increase in the price of tobacco cannot, by itself, serve as public policy,” she wrote. She also called for much heavier penalties for traffickers and street sellers, along with expanded powers for municipal police to take part in seizures of illicit products.

This mobilisation is totally legitimate.

· Marine Le PenLe Pen supported tobacconists’ planned national mobilisation.

A customs study published in October 2025 estimated that tobacco consumed in metropolitan France but outside the national tax system represented an average annual tax shortfall of 4.3 billion euros in 2023. A Senate report said a 12.50-euro pack of premium cigarettes generated 10.50 euros for the state, compared with one euro for the tobacconist and one euro for the manufacturer.

The live political roundup also reported Fabien Roussel’s formal candidacy for the presidency. The Communist Party leader and mayor of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux is running again after receiving support from PCF members. He won 2.28% in the first round in 2022 and was polling between 2.5% and 3.5% in a Saturday Ipsos/BVA survey. Ségolène Royal said she had secured the endorsements needed for a Socialist primary. Gabriel Attal, meanwhile, continues campaigning after a poll placed him behind Édouard Philippe, at 7.5% compared with Philippe’s 14.5% if both run.

The permanent increase in the price of tobacco cannot, by itself, serve as public policy.

· Marine Le PenShe argued for freezing tobacco taxes and breaking their link with inflation.
About this summary

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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