2027 French presidential election

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Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in France on 18 April 2027, with a second round on 2 May if no candidate secures a majority vote. The election may be held earlier under exceptional circumstances if the presidency falls vacant before then.

Quick facts
2027 French presidential election
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18 April 2027
2032 →
Opinion polls
Incumbent President

Emmanuel Macron
RE


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Incumbent president Emmanuel Macron is ineligible to stand, as the French constitution limits presidents to two consecutive terms.

Background

The dissolution of the National Assembly announced by Emmanuel Macron following the 2024 European election triggered a period of political instability.[1] The subsequent snap legislative election resulted in a hung parliament. After weeks of negotiations, Michel Barnier was appointed Prime Minister on 5 September 2024, leading a government based on cooperation between Ensemble and The Republicans.[2] He was later overthrown by a vote of no confidence in December.[3]

François Bayrou succeeded him and managed to pass the 2025 budget, but failed to stabilise a governing majority. He was in turn ousted on 9 September 2025,[4] and replaced by Sébastien Lecornu.[5] This sequence of unstable governments has shaped the political context leading up to the 2027 presidential election.

In March 2025, Marine Le Pen, a declared candidate for the National Rally, was found guilty of embezzlement of European Parliament funds.[6] She was sentenced at first instance to five years of ineligibility with immediate effect, preventing her from running in upcoming elections.[7] On 7 July 2026, the Court of Appeal of Paris upheld her conviction but reduced her ineligibility sentence to 45 months, with 30 months suspended, potentially reopening a path for her to stand in the 2027 presidential election. The court also sentenced her to three years' imprisonment, two of them suspended, and ordered her to serve one year under electronic monitoring, leaving initial uncertainty over whether she would pursue a campaign under those conditions.[8][9] Following the ruling, Le Pen said she would run for president and appeal the conviction again.[10]

The left-wing New Popular Front alliance formed in 2024 has weakened due to strategic disagreements, particularly between the Socialist Party and La France Insoumise.[11] Several figures have expressed support for a joint candidacy under project "Building 2027",[12] which was rejected by Jean-Luc Mélenchon,[13] Raphaël Glucksmann, and Fabien Roussel.[14] The United Left primary is scheduled for October 11, 2026,[15] although the prospect of a unified candidacy remains uncertain,[16] as both LFI and the Socialist Party are likely to field their own separate candidates.[17][18]

On the political right, divisions centre on the method of selecting the candidate.[19] Bruno Retailleau was nominated as The Republicans' candidate on 19 April 2026 following a member vote. Gérald Darmanin, Laurent Wauquiez, and David Lisnard favour a primary election—the latter two seeking to include Reconquête—[19][20]while Xavier Bertrand and Édouard Philippe reject the idea.[19] Michel Barnier proposed a coalition project, "Building Together," to unite the right and centre.[21]

The number of declared or presumed candidates is unprecedented in the Fifth Republic.[22][23][24] In mid-February 2026, eleven prominent figures had already declared their candidacy, and several others were expected to do so;[23] Le HuffPost and the Revue Politique et Parlementaire counted around 30 potential candidates in April.[25][26] Journalist Marie-Ève Malouines notes that most of these contenders are likely to be eliminated before they can even officially declare their candidacy, due to a lack of sufficient funding, endorsements, or organization.[26] 20 Minutes and Le Figaro project a potential number of 17 candidates or even more, while the previous record was set in 2002, with 16 candidates.[23][27]

According to Le HuffPost, Emmanuel Macron's constitutional inability to run for re-election and the fragmentation of the political class are fueling this frenzy.[25] According to Malouines, this proliferation of candidates stems less from realistic electoral prospects than from a dynamic unique to French politics, where refusing to declare oneself a potential candidate would be tantamount to losing all standing.[26] For political scientist Bruno Jeanbart, it reflects “the fragmentation of the political landscape and the decline of the party system” that began in 2017.[22] Political scientists Antoine Bristielle and Élie Michel see it as a symptom of a deep crisis of representation, with parties struggling to fulfill their role in selecting candidates and personal ambitions breaking free from the party framework.[28]

Electoral system

The president of the French Republic is elected to a five-year term under the two-round system as stipulated in Article 7 of the French constitution. If no candidate secures an absolute majority (50% + 1) of votes in the first round, a second round is held two weeks later between the two candidates who received the most votes.[29] Per the constitution, the first round of the presidential election must be held between 20 and 35 days before the conclusion of the president's current five-year term. Emmanuel Macron's second term, which began on 14 May 2022, is scheduled to end on 13 May 2027, meaning that the first round of the presidential election is scheduled to be held between 8 and 23 April 2027.[30]

To be listed on the first-round ballot, candidates must secure 500 signatures (often referred to as parrainages) from national or local elected officials from at least 30 different departments or overseas collectivities, with no more than a tenth of these signatories from any single department.[31] According to the Article 6 of the French constitution, the president cannot "exercise more than two consecutive periods in office".[32]

Declared candidates

National Rally

Horizons

The Republicans

On 19 April 2026, The Republicans held an internal vote among party members on whether to organise a primary election or directly endorse party president Bruno Retailleau's candidacy. More than 73% voted in favour of backing Retailleau outright.[36] Prior to the vote, three other figures (Xavier Bertrand, David Lisnard, and Laurent Wauquiez) had declared their intention to run in a primary. Since Retailleau secured the party's endorsement, Wauquiez withdrew his bid and Lisnard left the party.[37]

Renaissance

Socialist Party

La France Insoumise

United Left

The United Left primary is a primary election scheduled for 11 October 2026, which aims to select a joint candidate for the presidential election from The Ecologists, L'Après, Debout!, Génération.s, and other left-wing parties.[54]

Others

Potential candidates

Reconquête

The Republicans

Renaissance

Socialist Party

Place Publique

Although the Socialist party and Place publique presented a joint list for the 2024 European Parliament election[87] there are currently speculations, whether both parties will run a single candidate. Analysts deemed it unlikely as Raphaël Glucksmann confirmed he would not participate an open primary of the left[88] whereas the Socialists' First Secretary Olivier Faure reiterated his support of the primary.[89]

French Communist Party

Others

Declined to be candidates

Far-left

Centre-left

Centre

Centre-right

Far-right

Independent

Endorsements

Marine Le Pen
Party leaders
International figures
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Éric Zemmour

Opinion polling

Main article: Opinion polling for the 2027 French presidential election
Local regression of polls conducted between the 2022 and 2027 Presidential elections.
Local regression of polls conducted since 2026.

See also

Notes

References

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