François Bayrou advocates for a broader primary in the face of the risk of a National Rally-La France Insoumise runoff.
At the MoDem party’s back-to-school conference, held on Friday, September 18th in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, François Bayrou relaunched his plan for a broad primary for the 2027 presidential election. The leader of the centrist party hopes to unite forces ranging from the moderate left to the republican right, given the growing risk, in his view, of a runoff between the National Rally and La France Insoumise. However, the proposal is not unanimously supported, even within the MoDem party itself.
Bayrou wants to transcend the boundaries of the camps
Since the summer, François Bayrou has been advocating for a primary election that he presents as different from the usual consultations. Rather than choosing between candidates from the same party or political family, he wants to bring forth a common candidacy from a broader group, which he describes as the « great central current ».
The proposed coalition would extend from the left, which refuses an alliance with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, to the republican right, which opposes any agreement with the far right. For Bayrou, the goal is to build a « coalition of committed individuals » capable, in his view, of winning the election and then governing.
The leader of the MoDem party believes that none of the three major blocs—left, right, or center—could govern alone after the presidential and subsequent legislative elections. He therefore argues for a broader majority, which he considers necessary for running the country.
This initiative also stems from his concern about a possible second round pitting the National Rally against La France Insoumise. Bayrou believes this scenario is becoming more likely, and considers that the already declared candidacies of Gabriel Attal, for Renaissance, and Édouard Philippe, for Horizons, do not, in his view, possess sufficient legitimacy and momentum.
Cazeneuve supports the coalition, not necessarily the primary.
Former Socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who was present at the meeting, endorsed the objective of bringing the political forces closer together. He called for prioritizing what can unite them rather than their disagreements, in order to avoid what he described as a confrontation between the anti-establishment factions of the National Rally (RN) and La France Insoumise (LFI).
His support, however, focuses more on the need for unity than on the mechanism proposed by Bayrou. Cazeneuve has been cautious regarding primaries, believing that their ability to resolve political difficulties has not been demonstrated within his political family. He nevertheless stated that he shares the objective of finding a way to bring the relevant forces together.
A proposal that also divides the MoDem
The expanded primary is not generating unanimous agreement among centrist parties. According to the meeting’s report, some elected officials support Bayrou’s idea, while members of the MoDem party say they do not identify with either Gabriel Attal’s or Édouard Philippe’s candidacy.
As of the date of publication of the information, September 19, 2026, the proposal therefore remained a project defended by the president of the MoDem, without any consensus established on its modalities or on the candidacies likely to take part in it.
Source: Jean-Luc Mélenchon: news, podcasts, videos and analysis – RFI (www.rfi.fr)
Original article: See the original source
Author: RFI
