According to the Constitution, President Emmanuel Macron cannot apply for the third term. The extreme right -wing politician Marine Le Pen is forbidden to candidate in connection with the judgment for embezzlement. The public is fed up with the public and is looking for a return to normality – whatever she was.
Two French establishment parties – Centrolevil socialists and center -right Republicans – sense the opportunity to return to the old good times of the two -party system from the presidency of Macron.
There is optimism among the Republicans after Bruno Retailleau, a popular, hard interior minister, won the race for the position of another leader. Now the socialists have come to choose someone who will stand behind the party helm. On Thursday, party members will choose the first secretary in the vote, which will determine the direction leading to the presidential election in 2027.
The alleged climax of Nicolas Mayer-Rarsignol's campaign, which was to help him take control of the socialist party, gathered only several hundred people-mainly pensioners-in the gloomy gym in Eastern Paris.
But despite the disappointing atmosphere of Mayer-Rarsignol, the mayor of the Norman city of Rouen, and other leading socialists are convinced that This race for leadership is a unique opportunity to rebuild and taking control of the future coalition at the left.
Victor Jola / Abacapress.com / PAP
Nicolas Mayer-Rarsignol, Mer Rouen, 7 July 2024.
“We want to establish a socialist candidate and then turn to our partners on the left,” says Politico Jerome Guedj, an influential socialist deputy supporting Mayer-Rarsignol.
It wasn't always like that. Like Democrats and Republicans in the United States, a work party and conservatives in Great Britain, French politics was dominated by two parties for the first six decades of the fifth republic.
Macron successfully broke this duopoly in 2017, when the 37-year-old presidential candidate He ran a campaign on a proorous, socially liberal platform with the ambition of the unification of moderate voices from all environments.
After his victory, the exodus of both leaders and voters of socialist and republicans. The centralists headed for Macron and his allies, while the tough voters were attracted by more radical voices – Le Pen on the right and Anti-Capitalist leader Jean-Luca Melenchon on the left.
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The presidential election in 2022 turned out to be humiliating for both traditional parties. Conservatives gained less than 5 percent. votes, and socialists – only 1.7 percent Le Pen once again found herself in the final, and Melenchon was right behind her.
Popularity remains a problem for both parties, but it seems that the situation is improving. After Macron's unfortunate decision to write early elections last year, Republicans found themselves back in the government. Socialists, after Melenchon dominated two subsequent presidential elections to the left, reluctantly joined forces with him. In this way, the universal movement finally surprised the political establishment, winning the vote.
Recovery of leadership
As the race for replacing Macron begins to take shape, Both camps are trying to recover lost voters And ultimately regain your old places at the top of the right and left of the French political scene.
One of the high -ranking members of the government, a Republican, who was ensured anonymity so that he can speak honestly, thinks that this process has already begun.
EPA / Teresa Suarez / PAP
Bruno Retailleau, French interior minister and new Republican leader. Paris, May 27, 2025
– With time The attractiveness of Macron moved much more towards right -wing voters – said the minister. – It will be inevitable to adapt, in which these voters will return, and the rest will move towards the Socialist Party.
The biggest challenge for socialists is The overthrow of Melenchon without discouraging his supporters. Centropassium will somehow have to defeat prominent conservatives who have changed loyalty to Macron and are now preparing their own presidential candidates, such as former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and the current Minister of Justice Gerald Darmanin.
“It's about who folds first,” said the government official. – Not paths for Philippe or Darmanin without republicans.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
