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Race for French presidency sees ex-PM Philippe as early favourite to beat populists

Race for French presidency sees ex-PM Philippe as early favourite to beat populists

Latest polls suggest the centre-right figure is the only candidate who can defeat Marine Le Pen or Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

May 22, 2026 at 11:07 PM Original source
5 agencies covered this story

Coverage by Political Leaning

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Center
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Right
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Notable Quotes

"La seule raison pour laquelle je pourrais cesser d'être maire du Havre, c'est si en 2027 – et ça ne me parait pas une hypothèse facile – je devenais président."

— Édouard Philippe , Politician

"Avec plus de 47% des suffrages, Édouard Philippe réussit donc son pari et pourra se lancer en campagne."

— Édouard Philippe , Politician

"Un seul candidat de la droite et du centre, et peut-être même de la gauche républicaine pour 2027."

— Gérald Darmanin , Politician

Key People

B
Bruno RetailleauPoliticianLean Right

Former Interior Minister and presidential hopeful advocating for chemical castration for dangerous sex offenders.

D
Dominique de VillepinPoliticianCenter

Dominique de Villepin is a former Prime Minister of France and a prominent political figure.

E
Edouard PhilippePoliticianCenter

Former Prime Minister of France and mayor of Le Havre.

É
Édouard PhilippePoliticianCenter

Édouard Philippe is the mayor of Le Havre and former Prime Minister of France.

E
Emmanuel MacronPoliticianCenter

Emmanuel Macron is the President of France.

É
Éric ZemmourPoliticianRight

Éric Zemmour is a French far-right politician and journalist.

F
Fabien RousselPoliticianLeft

Leader of the French Communist Party.

F
François HollandePoliticianLeft

Former President of France.

F
François RuffinPoliticianLeft

François Ruffin is a French journalist and politician associated with La France Insoumise.

G
Gabriel AttalPoliticianCenter

Gabriel Attal is a former centre-right French Prime Minister who plans to run for the presidency.

G
Gérald DarmaninPoliticianRight

Gérald Darmanin is the Justice Minister of France and a senior member of the government.

J
Jean-Luc MélenchonPoliticianLeft

Jean-Luc Mélenchon is the leader of the far-left party La France Insoumise.

J
Jordan BardellaPoliticianRight

Jordan Bardella is the leader of the far-right National Rally and is a potential candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

M
Marine Le PenPoliticianRight

Marine Le Pen is the leader of the National Rally party.

M
Marine TondelierPoliticianLean Left

Marine Tondelier is the leader of the Green Party in France.

O
Olivier FaurePoliticianLeft

Leader of the Socialist Party in France.

R
Raphaël GlucksmannPoliticianLeft

Center-left presidential hopeful and Member of the European Parliament.

S
Sarah KnafoPoliticianRight

Candidate for the mayorship of Paris from the radical right Reconquest party.

S
Sébastien LecornuPoliticianRight

Sébastien Lecornu is the Prime Minister of France.

X
Xavier BertrandPoliticianLean Right

President of the Hauts-de-France region.

All Coverage

Race for French presidency sees ex-PM Philippe as early favourite to beat populists
BBC Newsvia rss

Latest polls suggest the centre-right figure is the only candidate who can defeat Marine Le Pen or Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

100%
Race for French presidency sees ex-PM Philippe as early favourite to beat populists
AOLvia ai

Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is currently the leading candidate to defeat populist contenders Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the upcoming presidential election, according to recent polls.

80%
Présidentielle française : Édouard Philippe donné vainqueur par deux sondages face à Jordan Bardella
Euronewsvia ai 1 quote 1 person

Two recent polls show Edouard Philippe leading against Jordan Bardella in the French presidential race, positioning him as a strong contender for the 2027 election.

80%
SONDAGE LCI - Présidentielle 2027 : Édouard Philippe talonné par Jordan Bardella
TF1 Infovia ai 2 quotes 2 persons

A recent survey indicates that Edouard Philippe is closely followed by Jordan Bardella in the race for the 2027 French presidential election.

80%
Présidentielle 2027 : seul Édouard Philippe serait en mesure de battre le RN au second tour, d’après un sondage
Le Parisienvia ai

A recent poll indicates that Edouard Philippe is the only candidate capable of defeating the National Rally (RN) in the second round of the 2027 presidential election.

80%