David Lisnard, mayor of Cannes, declared his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election on January 21 on RTL. This announcement comes amid a proliferation of contenders against the Rassemblement National, making the outcome uncertain. Political decomposition favors personal ventures, notes chronicler Solenn de Royer.
The French political scene is stirring ahead of the 2027 presidential election, marked by growing fragmentation. On January 21, 2026, David Lisnard, mayor of Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes) and former Republicans member, officially announced his candidacy on RTL. This declaration exemplifies the « political decomposition combined with the ultra-personalization of the ballot », which favors individual initiatives, according to Solenn de Royer in Le Monde.
The central question for 2026 remains: who to counter the Rassemblement National (RN)? Parties of the « republican arc » must avoid a second round between the RN and La France Insoumise (LFI), the latter missing qualification in 2022 by just 421,308 votes. Already declared: former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe (2017-2020), ecologist Marine Tondelier, and now Lisnard.
In the Macronist camp, several are positioning themselves: Gabriel Attal, Yaël Braun-Pivet, Elisabeth Borne (Prime Minister 2022-2024), Gérald Darmanin, Aurore Bergé, Jean Castex (2020-2022), and current Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. On the right, Bruno Retailleau and Laurent Wauquiez are competing, potentially joined by Xavier Bertrand, Michel Barnier, and Dominique de Villepin, who is preparing his 500 endorsements.
The social-democratic space is crowded: Raphaël Glucksmann, François Hollande, Bernard Cazeneuve, Olivier Faure, Boris Vallaud, Carole Delga, and Jérôme Guedj. On January 14, Glucksmann, Aurélien Rousseau, and Boris Vallaud dined in Paris to discuss left-wing unity, criticizing the PS primary led by Faure and advocating support for Glucksmann, who is neck-and-neck with Jean-Luc Mélenchon in polls. Glucksmann's failed appearance against Éric Zemmour on LCI on November 18, 2025, boosted Faure's and Hollande's ambitions.
As the RN nears power, uncertainty prevails, making the election high-stakes.
