Édouard Philippe seeks new conservative alliance in France

Édouard Philippe wants France’s conservative forces to campaign under one banner before the country’s 2027 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Speaking at an event in Tourcoing in northern France, the leader of Horizons called for the creation of “the new party or the new alliance of parties that will allow all those who want to join forces in the service of the country to govern together.”

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the new party or the new alliance of parties that will allow all those who want to join forces in the service of the country to govern together

His proposal would extend beyond the presidential race. Philippe said center-right parties should field a common candidate in every constituency in the parliamentary election that follows, with the aim of building a majority in the National Assembly.

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under a common banner

Philippe framed the plan as a way to keep France from moving toward either La France Insoumise, which he described as promoting a “new France,” or Marine Le Pen’s nationalist and identity-based populism. Polls currently place Le Pen clearly ahead in the presidential contest, while some surveys point to a possible runoff between Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

Philippe, who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2020, is regarded as the conservatives’ strongest candidate. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin endorsed him two weeks earlier, saying Philippe was “the only one who can win” and the only one able to secure a parliamentary majority. The presidential election is scheduled for April 18 and May 2, 2027, and Emmanuel Macron cannot immediately seek a third term after two presidencies.

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the only one who can win