Marine Tondelier has won her party's internal primary with 86% of the votes, positioning her to represent Les Écologistes in a potential left-wing primary ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Her opponent, Waleed Mouhali, received 14% of the votes in a ballot where 54% of militants participated. This smooth victory represents a historic moment for the ecologist movement.
Marine Tondelier, national secretary of Les Écologistes since 2022 and re-elected in April with 73% of the votes, dominated her party's internal primary. Announced on December 8, the vote opened the previous Friday saw 54% of militants participate, out of about 12,800 eligible members among the party's 16,000. Tondelier garnered 5,341 votes, against 14% for Waleed Mouhali, an almost unknown municipal councilor in La Garenne-Colombes.
Before the press, the 39-year-old candidate described this designation as 'quite historic in this movement,' noting it unfolded 'well and serenely.' She called for humility amid the rise of the far right in France, with her slogan: 'Hold on, we're coming.' A defender of left-wing unity, Tondelier stressed: 'Nothing can be done alone (…) we must fight together.' She plans to visit victims of the budget under review in the Senate and National Assembly in the coming weeks.
Mouhali declared himself 'loyal and demanding' toward the party leader, stating he had 'nothing against Marine Tondelier's presidential ambitions.'
The left-wing primary, driven by the Socialist Party, Les Écologistes, Génération.s, and former rebels like Clémentine Autain and François Ruffin, remains uncertain. Neither the communists, nor Raphaël Glucksmann, nor Jean-Luc Mélenchon – frontrunners in polls – have joined for now. Its modalities and date, set for October 2026, will be detailed mid-December. Tondelier could face Ruffin, Autain, and possibly Olivier Faure. 'I trust left-wing and Ecologist voters to choose the best candidacy,' she stated.