Attal proposes a joint primary of democratic parties to block Le Pen in 2027

Gabriel Attal made the call on TF1, but Bruno Retailleau rejected a primary involving Raphaël Glucksmann, warning it would serve Marine Le Pen.

Gabriel Attal has proposed organising a "grande primaire" among democratic parties to block a second-round run-off between Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon at the 2027 presidential election. Speaking on TF1's 8pm news, he said the aim was "d'empêcher un second tour entre La France insoumise et le Rassemblement national". An Ipsos poll this month put Attal at a rising score, with Le Pen slightly down from September.

The proposal comes weeks after Raphaël Glucksmann won the left's primary, taking 66.17% of votes in the first round, or 79,613 ballots, according to Le Figaro. An Ipsos poll for Le Parisien, conducted on October 21 and 22 among 1,500 registered voters, measured voting intentions for the 2027 election. In the scenario pairing Attal with Édouard Philippe, Ipsos found 42% of Macron's 2022 voters would choose Philippe. Attal drew 13%, and Glucksmann 18%.

The proposal met resistance on the centre-right. Bruno Retailleau rejected it, saying a primary involving Glucksmann makes no sense and would play into Marine Le Pen's hands. He wrote that the plan reproduced the left's habit of saying two things at once, applied from left to right, and that Marine Le Pen was waiting for exactly that. Laurent Marcangeli, a figure close to Édouard Philippe, also criticised the plan on X as, in his words, both confused and risky, and questioned whether losing candidates would accept to support the winner.

Support also came from within the right. David Lisnard welcomed the open-primary initiative, saying he had proposed the idea himself for two years, and urged speed. "Mais il faut se dépêcher car bientôt il sera trop tard", the French mayor said, warning that it would soon be too late. On the left, Alexis Corbière gave the plan a colder welcome. For now, he said, it is Marine Le Pen who is winning, which should worry the left collectively.

Attention now turns to François Bayrou, whom Attal's camp describes as favourable to the proposed primary, according to Le Dauphiné. The Greens, meanwhile, will vote between December 10 and 13 on whether to run an autonomous candidacy or back another candidate, BFMTV reported. A Toluna Harris Interactive survey for M6 and RTL, conducted online from October 19 to 21 among 2,094 registered voters, measured the field before Attal's proposal.