Behind the scenes of Edouard Philippe’s early declaration of candidacy for the presidential election

Even his most loyal followers were not in on the secret. No one really had their mind set on the presidential election when Édouard Philippe announced, Tuesday evening, to everyone’s surprise, his candidacy for the Élysée in an interview with Point. “What is he doing? This is the worst timing!”they whisper in its ranks, where they had not seen this back-to-school poker move coming. “He did it in his corner, without anyone knowing. That way, there was no possibility of leaks.”says one of his close friends, himself surprised to discover this announcement early in the evening. For weeks, all eyes have been on the interminable saga of Matignon, while Emmanuel Macron, under pressure, is still looking for his next prime minister.

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The boss and founder of Horizons has never made any secret of his ambitions since he left rue de Varenne in the summer of 2020. “What I propose will be massive. The French will decide,” he warns, when asked about his “assets”