Government spokesperson calls on various personalities from the presidential camp and Les Républicains party to come to an agreement, as declared or undeclared candidacies multiply within the right and center.
“It is necessary for everyone to communicate.” Maud Bregeon argues this Monday, February 16 on BFMTV-RMC for a “single candidate from the right and center from the first round” in the 2027 presidential election in order not to “leave the French with a choice between La France insoumise and the Rassemblement national in the second round.”
The government spokesperson outlines the perimeter of an alliance from the presidential camp to the Les Républicains party (LR). In other words, “what was called yesterday the common ground, which is this space of the right and center in which we have been governing for the past 18 months,” she recalls, before emphasizing:
“We have LR ministers within the government, which is proof that to protect France from La France insoumise and the Rassemblement national, we have arrived and will hopefully continue to come to an agreement.”
Multiplication of candidacies
Maud Bregeon is not the first to call for a single candidate from the right and center. Others, like Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin, who she is close to, push in this direction and mention the possibility of a primary to differentiate the various challengers.
Several obstacles remain. First, not all supporters of a vote to designate a common candidate support the same perimeter. On the right, Laurent Wauquiez, head of LR deputies, and David Lisnard, now officially a candidate for the Élysée, argue for a gathering extending to Sarah Knafo, a member of the far-right party Reconquête.
Others are concerned about such a possibility as Valérie Pécresse. The president of the Île-de-France region also advocates for a primary, but without an alliance with the far right.
As the debate is still not settled within the concerned parties – at LR, a working group is studying the issue and must soon deliver its conclusions – candidacies are multiplying: some have already declared officially (Édouard Philippe, David Lisnard, or Bruno Retailleau more recently…) and others are advancing their positions (Gabriel Attal, Xavier Bertrand…).
Among these various ambitious individuals, Édouard Philippe is currently the most well-placed in the race to the Élysée, in various polls. However, he has so far expressed reluctance regarding the possibility of a primary.
