Presidential Election 2027: Already 37 Declared Candidates, a Particularly Crowded Race for the Élysée

The list of contenders for the Élysée continues to grow. Less than six months before the first round of the presidential election, scheduled for April 18, 2027, no fewer than 37 personalities have already announced their intention to participate in the vote, according to a census published by LCP on Tuesday, November 10. From major political figures to much more low-profile candidates, rarely has a presidential campaign sparked so many declarations of intent at this stage. Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Édouard Philippe, Gabriel Attal, Raphaël Glucksmann, Bruno Retailleau, David Lisnard, and Éric Zemmour are among the most publicized contenders. Alongside them, five-time Olympic champion Teddy Riner, who announced his candidacy on Monday, intends to shake up the norms by presenting himself as a candidate « neither right nor left. »

On the left, the multiplication of ambitions is particularly visible. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Raphaël Glucksmann, and Fabien Roussel are engaged in preparing their campaigns, while François Ruffin, Marine Tondelier, Delphine Batho, and Karim Bouamrane have also expressed their intentions. On the far left, Nathalie Arthaud, Anasse Kazib, and Selma Labib wish to defend their own positions. The center and right are hardly less divided: Édouard Philippe, Gabriel Attal, Bruno Retailleau, and David Lisnard are still debating the organization of a primary, without reaching agreement on a common method. Other personalities, such as Jean Lassalle, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, François Asselineau, Florian Philippot, Francis Lalanne, Gilles Platret, and Olivier Becht, also intend to participate in the competition, while Natacha Polony and Juan Branco claim their own political approach.

The 500 sponsorship threshold could significantly reduce the list

The LCP census also includes eleven personalities much less known to the general public: Clara Egger, Antoine Mikolajczak, Augustin Billetdoux, Joël Chevé, Christian Collovati, Sylvain Pierre Durif, Jean-François Legendre, Benoît Mathieu, Manolo Mlekuz, and Erwan Rohou, to which is added Mira Markovic, candidate of the Animalist Party, already counted among the other announced candidacies. These names illustrate the diversity of approaches undertaken, between activists of political parties, representatives of small movements, and independent initiatives. However, not all these ambitions present the same level of progress. Some personalities have a structured political organization, while others still need to build their team, program, and network of elected officials. Several contenders have also conditioned the continuation of their candidacy on the evolution of power relations or on the organization of a primary.

Announcing one’s candidacy does not mean being officially qualified for the presidential election. Each contender must obtain at least 500 sponsorships from authorized elected officials, coming from at least 30 departments or overseas collectivities, before March 12, 2027, at 6 p.m. The Constitutional Council will then verify the submissions and publish the final list of candidates. This step could significantly reduce the number of participants. For comparison, twelve candidates appeared on the ballots in the 2022 presidential election, against eleven in 2017 and sixteen in 2002, a record under the Fifth Republic. With 37 names already listed, the 2027 campaign thus stands out for the scale of ambitions displayed. It remains to be seen how many will actually manage to pass the first hurdle, that of sponsorships, before seeking the votes of the French.