Collegial leadership, meeting on July 5: Philippe launches his campaign for 2027

A “collegiate leadership” of the campaign, a meeting on July 5 in Paris: Édouard Philippe outlined on Sunday the contours of the launch of his race for the Elysée, a “new phase” which must “expand far beyond” the Horizons party, with a view to a political “recomposition” in 2027.

During a meeting of his party executives in Reims, Mr. Philippe announced the formation of a “collegial leadership” of the campaign, made up of the party’s general secretary and mayor of Angers Christophe Béchu, the Renaissance deputy Marie Guévenoux and the MEP and general delegate of Horizons, Gilles Boyer. “Three political figures with different backgrounds and skills,” Mr. Philippe explained to AFP.

Christophe Béchu is “a local elected official who has held almost all political positions, who has a lot of experience”. Marie Guévenoux, former national secretary for Youth of the UMP under the presidency of Alain Juppé, Renaissance deputy and short-lived minister for Overseas, “is a very, very good organizer”. And Gilles Boyer, co-author of several works with Mr. Philippe, “has both experience of campaigns and he is obviously very close to me”, summarized the presidential candidate.

Mr. Philippe invited his executives to Reims, the largest Horizons city headed by Arnaud Robinet, re-elected in March and who also succeeded Christian Estrosi on Sunday at the head of the party’s Assembly of Mayors.

“We are moving to a new phase linked to the presidential campaign” which “requires us not to stay within the borders of the party and to move to an organization which will open up and go far beyond”. “As the weeks come, I’m going to bring together things beyond Horizons,” he explained.

“The presidential election will also be an election of recomposition. It will be necessary to create a new political space to build a new majority. I do not believe at all that the political space of the future majority is only Horizons. We must expand,” added Mr. Philippe.

The former Prime Minister also confirmed the holding of a public meeting on July 5 at the Adidas Arena in Paris. The party, which is aiming for 50,000 members by this date (around 40,000 claimed to date), will also hold a thousand apartment meetings in the coming weeks.