Former French President François Hollande, Le Havre Mayor Edouard Philippe and Les Republicains leader Bruno Retailleau each called for political unity as France's political parties returned from the summer break, with an eye on the 2027 presidential election. All three used separate events to argue that their side must come together, though none showed any sign of stepping aside for a rival.
Hollande, who has not yet formally declared his candidacy but is widely seen as campaigning, made his return to the political stage at the Fete de la Rose in Frangy-en-Bresse, a traditional gathering for the Socialist Party. He told supporters they should be proud of the party's history in order to give French people a vision for the future.
Hollande wants to 'gather broadly'
Hollande said the coming rassemblement, or coming together, could no longer be limited to party structures. He said it would be necessary to gather broadly, confirming his intention to appeal to voters well beyond the Socialist Party's base.
His strategy rests on a firm refusal to take part in a Socialist primary. By invoking the party's legacy while distancing himself from its structures, he is bypassing Raphael Glucksmann, seen as the favourite of the social-democratic wing, in an apparent bid to establish himself as the natural candidate. Hollande also attacked the radical left, criticising Jean-Luc Melenchon's proposal to cancel public debt by saying that debt is not flammable.
Philippe takes the patient approach
Edouard Philippe, the mayor of Le Havre and a candidate for the Horizons party, defended a union of the right and centre while speaking at the Terres de Jim festival in Metz, in eastern France. He said that when the right and centre run together, they win, adding that the same applied to the presidential race.
Philippe, a former prime minister, faces competition from Gabriel Attal, who argues that a right-centre alliance is too narrow to win and instead favours a coalition stretching from the republican right to the left. Philippe responded by saying he was not at all excited and was in no hurry, noting that he began his campaign a long time ago and was familiar with the story of the tortoise and the hare. His approach favours a methodical, patient build-up of a centre-right union rather than matching his rivals' more urgent rhetoric.
Retailleau hardens his line on the right
Bruno Retailleau, the leader of Les Republicains, rejected any concession to Macron-style centrism during a meeting with young party members in Nogent-sur-Marne. Presenting himself as the candidate of what he calls reconstruction, he criticised the governing philosophy often summed up as "at the same time," associated with President Emmanuel Macron, describing it as a great void that fuels political extremes.
Retailleau also went after the Rassemblement National, calling it a weathervane party. He accused the party, which has claimed the legacy of Joan of Arc, of having sold out to the English following an agreement between its leader Jordan Bardella and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. He separately targeted Melenchon, referring to him as Tinker Bell, and called for what he described as a battle of civilisations.
Retailleau's position leaves no room for alliances with either the centre or the far right, insisting that any union of the right must form around a clearly defined, unapologetic conservative platform.
Same word, different paths
From Frangy-en-Bresse to Nogent-sur-Marne, the message from Hollande, Philippe and Retailleau was strikingly similar: French politics needs to unite. Yet each attached the same unspoken condition, that the rassemblement take shape behind his own candidacy rather than anyone else's, as the race toward the 2027 presidential election takes shape.
