At the initiative of its president Bruno Retailleau, the Les Républicains party discussed a primary for the 2027 presidential election for the first time during a strategic council on November 4. Long avoided due to past defeats, this process may become necessary without a natural candidate. No decision was made, but a working group was launched.
The Les Républicains (LR) party faces a major dilemma eighteen months before the 2027 presidential election. During a strategic council held on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, under the presidency of Bruno Retailleau, the issue of a primary was discussed for the first time. Retailleau, former interior minister, wants to speed up the process to designate the party's candidate before next summer, but he deferred the decision 'to the choice of members' at the end of the meeting.
Philippe Juvin, deputy and doctor from Hauts-de-Seine, who has favored this option for months, diagnoses a Pavlovian rejection within LR. 'It’s Pavlovian with us. No one wants to hear about it, as the first two [2017 and 2022] ended in defeats,' he summarizes. These past primaries were indeed marked by electoral failures, reinforcing LR's image as a 'losing machine.'
In line with the new statutes validated in September, a vote on the primary's modalities must be held in early 2026, based on a proposal from the party president. The strategic council did not decide, limiting itself to establishing a working group on the topic, at the initiative of Gérard Larcher, Senate president. This proposal will need validation by the political bureau afterward.
Daniel Fasquelle, LR vice-president and co-author of the new statutes with Guillaume Larrivé, clarifies: 'The council this morning was not meant to settle the issue; it was a first exchange.' Thus, the question remains open, reflecting internal divisions in the party amid the lack of an undisputed figure for 2027.