On January 24 in Tours, leaders of the unitary left, excluding La France insoumise, announced a primary for the 2027 presidential election set for October 11. Marine Tondelier, Olivier Faure, Clémentine Autain, and François Ruffin confirmed the vote, aimed at selecting a common candidate despite internal hesitations within the Socialist Party.
In Tours, at the Jacques-Villeret space, representatives of the unitary left gathered on Saturday, January 24, to advance plans for a primary ahead of the 2027 presidential election. This process, uniting the Socialist Party (PS), Ecologists, Génération.s, L’Après, and François Ruffin's Debout! movement, excludes La France insoumise (LFI), the French Communist Party (PCF), and Raphaël Glucksmann's Place publique.
During a press conference, Clémentine Autain announced that « this investiture vote will therefore take place on October 11 next ». She called to « create a popular dynamic » to persuade holdouts and counter the far right. François Ruffin emphasized a vote that is both digital and physical, across 4,055 cantons including overseas territories, aiming to draw two million voters. « We need to have the people with us, people in associations, people in unions, and we'll make this primary a party! », he said.
Candidates will need 500 mayor endorsements to join this single-round ballot, with the voting method (majority or preferential) yet to be decided. The initiative follows a July commitment in Bagneux for a common candidate.
Yet challenges abound. Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Raphaël Glucksmann refuse to participate, believing they can embody the useful vote. The PCF stands aside, though PS and Ecologists anticipate its eventual join. Within the PS, Olivier Faure faces internal resistance, particularly from Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol and Boris Vallaud's camp, which derides this « patchwork primary ». A vote by PS members after the municipal elections will decide the party's involvement.
François Hollande advocates an alternative reformist federation, arguing that « the proof that the primary makes no sense is what's happening in Parliament ». Marine Tondelier and Clémentine Autain hope PS militants recall past failures, like Anne Hidalgo's 2022 score.
