Less than 3 weeks before the first round of early legislative elections, former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is calling for an expansion of the presidential majority. The mayor of Le Havre assures that he will campaign, “I have released my entire agenda, I will defend the Horizons candidates”, he assures.
Two days after Emmanuel Macron’s shock announcement to dissolve the National Assembly, his former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe spoke to our colleagues at RTL.
The mayor of Le Havre does not take a position on the decision of the Head of State but comments: “we are entering a complicated and decisive phase for the country, […] giving the French a voice again is never a bad idea.”
Like the results across the country, in Normandy, the RN broke through during the European election on June 9. For the mayor of Le Havre (Seine-Maritime), where the National Rally came well ahead with 27.67% of the vote, Marine Le Pen’s party is one step ahead of its opponents: “The RN won last Sunday and obviously, because it won this election, it is the favorite in the next legislative election“.
Édouard Philippe is also worried about the period that is opening: “pno one predicted the dissolution of the National Assembly on the evening of the European elections. There is obviously an element of surprise […] I don’t believe that the National Front will do any good for France, so I’m fighting.”
In the coming days, the Norman elected official assures that he will fight the campaign and concentrate on the upcoming deadline. Édouard Philippe will increase his travels in the region and throughout France to support the majority candidates. Will he be a candidate himself? No, “jI am mayor of Le Havre and I have no ambition to (re)become Prime Minister.”
It now remains to be seen with what majority Édouard Philippe intends to campaign.
While it seems difficult for Renaissance to obtain an absolute majority in the hemicycle alone, Édouard Philippe calls for the expansion of the Macronist camp.
“The question is to build a new majority, starting with ideas. […] I consider that no political party alone is able to implement a response to the French demand. So you have to be open, accept being able to work with others.”
Edouard Philippe, mayor (Horizons) of Le HavreRTL
If the RN seems in a strong position to obtain a majority of elected officials on July 7, Edouard Philippe does not seem to be giving up. He calls on the “republican” parties to think about an alternative to the far right. “How do we build the future majority? By setting clear principles. […] To those who are outside the majority we must say: let’s build a project together in the interest of the country“, he hopes on RTL. “Before 2027, 3 years ago. Before the legislative elections 3 weeks ago. [Nous devons construire cette coalition] with all the political forces inside the central bloc”, he adds.
In their sights, the PS and LR candidates ready to join a future coalition at the Palais Bourbon. For now, Édouard Philippe’s initiative is freshly received, in particular by the president of the LR party, Eric Ciotti.
Also on the right, Xavier Bertrand, spoke on -: the president of the Hauts-de-France region did not respond directly to the call from the mayor of Le Havre, but he seems to exclude any negotiation with the presidential party and his allies.
For the former Prime Minister, everything needs to be built. In three weeks, with the executives of the presidential majority, he will have to convince a majority of French people, “otherwise the alternative will be either the RN and I think that is bad for the country, or a fantasized candidacy from the union of the left“, warns Edouard Philippe.
