The President of the Senate speaks. This Saturday, November 14, Gérard Larcher proposed bringing together the candidates from the right and the center to arrive at a “tie-breaking method” with a view to a single presidential candidacy, intensifying the pressure on Edouard Philippe, opposed to the primary.
Bruno Retailleau, David Lisnard, Gabriel Attal and Edouard Philippe around the same table at the Palais du Luxembourg? This is the bet that Gérard Larcher is making. While the polls of voting intentions for 2027 reinforce the hypothesis of a duel between Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the second round, the tenor of the Republicans addresses an appeal to the candidates in his camp.
A desired meeting “as soon as possible”
In a statement sent to AFP, the head of the upper house affirms that he “trusts the statesmanship of the candidates” with a view to an agreement, ensuring that they “share” according to him “a certain vision of France and the interests of the French”.
This meeting, which he wants to organize "as soon as possible", must be an opportunity "to discuss the tie-breaking method and the community of values which would allow at the beginning of next year to choose the candidate who will present to the French the alternation project essential to the country's recovery", assures Mr. Larcher, without explicitly mentioning the terms "primary".
The entourage of the President of the Senate informed AFP that this initiative did not call into question the meeting of the campaign directors of Gabriel Attal, Bruno Retailleau and David Lisnard which is to be held on November 17 to discuss the question of the primary.
Gérard Larcher's appeal is addressed directly to the candidates and to them alone, and its scope excludes Eric Zemmour (Reconquête) and Raphaël Glucksmann (Public Square), we assure the same source.
Can Edouard Philippe be convinced by this figure from the central block? The boss of Horizons has been adamant about his refusal of the primary in recent days. “I made my decision many months ago by saying that I will not submit to a primary and that I will present my candidacy to the French,” he said again on Thursday. Before adding on Friday: “I will not change my mind, I am constant and consistent. »
Those close to him display the same skepticism: the primary, “it’s a race to the bottom,” one of them said in recent days. Accepting the primary “at the last moment” would be “recognizing a dynamic problem”, insisted another, fearing entering into the process “catastrophically”.
Sufficient influence to convince Edouard Philippe?
This position by Gérard Larcher was expected, several political leaders from the central bloc considering his influence great enough to convince the boss of Horizons to join the negotiations.
In recent weeks, Mr. Larcher was instead considering an initiative at the "beginning of the year" and first wanted to let the candidates roll out their program, while showing his support for Bruno Retailleau, from his Republican political family.
“But they are all below 10%, we can’t continue like this! We have to talk to each other at some point,” assures one of those close to him to justify this change in agenda. “Gérard Larcher is not a candidate, he is the only one to speak to everyone, to have an institutional position which allows him to bring people together,” adds the same person.
The President of the Senate leads the upper house with a very large majority ranging from the right to the centrists, with very regular support from groups in the presidential camp.
