Presidential election 2027: Gabriel Attal attacks Édouard Philippe, who invites him to target Le Pen and Mélenchon

Tensions are rising between Gabriel Attal and Édouard Philippe. The two former Prime Ministers of Emmanuel Macron are now openly displaying their differences on the strategy to adopt for 2027, as each intends to establish himself as the main candidate of the centrist bloc.

On Sunday, Gabriel Attal distanced himself from Édouard Philippe's plan to build a broad coalition of "the right and center" after the presidential election, either as a new party or a confederation. "The challenge of this election is to avoid recreating the parties of twenty years ago, with the same people and ideas as twenty years ago," declared the Renaissance candidate.

"Nobody's going to wrap up the match."

Gabriel Attal also disputes the status of favorite attributed to the mayor of Le Havre. "Édouard Philippe has been a candidate for three years, I've been for three months," he pointed out, asserting that the gaps between them often remain within the margin of error of the polls. "There is no natural candidate or favorite, apart from the extremes. No one has the race wrapped up," he insisted.

Édouard Philippe chose to respond by calling for an end to "petty attacks." "In the end, we will have to come together," he declared, before suggesting that everyone "direct their attacks" at their true adversaries: Marine Le Pen, whose project he considers "dangerous for the country," and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, whose proposals he finds "crazy for the country."

This clash illustrates the growing tensions within the central bloc eight months before the election. In Édouard Philippe's inner circle, some are already denouncing Gabriel Attal's "arrogance," while the Renaissance camp downplays the situation and maintains that it is possible to express differences without resorting to talk of a complete break.