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Macron and the manoeuvring at the centre for a ‘third force’
The French president appears to be in favour of forming a grand coalition as early as the first round, centred on a single candidate. The alliance would also include former Macron-backed prime ministers Philippe and Attal, and now judo champion Teddy Riner.
Photo: ANSA
In 2027, Emmanuel Macron will be unable to stand for the Élysée due to term limits, but he wishes to spearhead a political realignment that would give rise to a ‘third force’ capable of defeating the leader of the radical left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, in the first round and the champion of French sovereignty, Marine Le Pen, in the second. The French president appears to be in favour of forming a grand coalition as early as the first round, centred on a single candidate.
A broad-based alliance, ranging from the Social Democratic leader Raphaël Glucksmann, frontman of Place publique, to the rising star of the liberal right, David Lisnard, president of Nouvelle énergie, and which would include former Macronist prime ministers Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, as well as the leader of the Gaullists, Bruno Retailleau, and now the judo champion Teddy Riner. Macron would like these various leaders to start working on a common programme for France straight away, following the same logic of ‘overcoming’ the old political divides that took him to the Élysée in 2017: he is determined not to go down in history as the president who handed France over to extremists.
