Monday 12 October 2026
Evening Edition
ZOTPAPER

News without the noise

ZOTPAPER
World

French centre-left selects Raphaël Glucksmann as presidential candidate to counter far right

Socialist primary win puts pro-European MEP at head of fragmented left

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Raphaël Glucksmann, a European parliamentarian and founder of the Place Publique movement, has secured the centre-left presidential nomination after winning a Socialist party primary, and immediately cast the 2027 election as an existential struggle to prevent Marine Le Pen's far right from taking power.

Glucksmann, 46, told France Inter radio on Monday that France was living in a "historic moment" with the far right at the gates of power. He urged the centre left to wage an "existential battle" and "rid our hearts of the spirit of defeat", vowing to restore a "pride in social democracy".

The primary victory marks the first time since the Socialist party was founded in 1969 that it will not field its own presidential candidate. The party, which suffered crushing defeats in the last two presidential elections, instead backed Glucksmann, who has cooperated with it on joint electoral lists in the past.

Current polling places Glucksmann at between 9% and 14%, well behind frontrunner Le Pen and also trailing centre-right contender Edouard Philippe and radical leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon, whose party France Unbowed boycotted the primary. Glucksmann refuses to work with Melenchon, leaving the left divided.

Glucksmann is staunchly pro-Europe and pro-Ukraine, and strikes a more reformist, centrist tone than the Socialists. He criticised President Emmanuel Macron, who will stand down next spring, for having "wasted 10 years" on climate inaction. Glucksmann said the centre left needed to regain "a form of radicality that we lost" through environmental policy, and that his intellectual background would help "better explain the moment we're living in" rather than relying on slogans.

His partner, Lea Salame, a star presenter on French public television, has stepped down from her role while he runs for president.

§

Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The French presidential election in 2027 could see the far right come to power, with major implications for European security, immigration policy, and the European Union.
  • Glucksmann's candidacy represents a test of whether the centre-left can revive itself in a country where social democracy has been in steep decline.
  • As a pro-European, pro-Ukraine voice, his performance will affect France's foreign policy posture and its role within NATO and the EU.

Background

Glucksmann is an essayist and MEP known for his work on international issues, including documentary projects on the Rwandan genocide and advising former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili. The Socialist party, once a governing force, has been sidelined since Macron's rise and suffered two disastrous presidential results. The left is now split between Glucksmann's social democrats, the radical left of Melenchon, and smaller green parties.

Key Perspectives

  • Glucksmann: Insists the centre left must believe it can win, and its revival must come through aggressive environmental policy and reconnecting with working-class voters.
  • Socialist party: By backing an outsider, the party hopes to regain relevance, though it effectively cedes its own candidacy.
  • Critics on the left: Accuse Glucksmann of being too centrist and insufficiently distinct from Macron's record, while his refusal to work with Melenchon risks keeping the left divided.
  • Far right and centre right: Le Pen remains the frontrunner with a solid polling lead, while Edouard Philippe offers a centrist alternative that may draw voters wary of both extremes.

What to Watch

  • Whether Glucksmann can lift his single-digit polling and consolidate a coalition of centre-left and green voters.
  • The possibility of a broader alliance on the left before the first round, or further fragmentation.
  • How Melenchon's campaign evolves and whether he becomes a spoiler or a serious second-round threat.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

How we workSubscribe