Édouard Philippe, a politician who has reached peaks of popularity, is making great strides towards the next presidential election. Vitiligo and alopecia have not tarnished the appearance of this man with a calm voice. Since this declaration to Le Point on September 3, 2024, France knows. The former Prime Minister no longer hides his intentions. He will be a candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Le Havre, his home port, remains his anchor. There, where he finds the simple daily life of the Normans, Philippe charts his path. At 53 years old, he has made this city, a symbol of his political resilience, a base of influence. The mayor of Le Havre is also a former Prime Minister. He managed, for better or worse, the Yellow Vests crisis. Moreover, he faced the Covid-19 pandemic and an unfinished pension reform. His time at Matignon has instilled in him a certain gravity. Politics is not light for this man carved from rock.
He has never been one to shy away from action: "What I will propose will be massive," he stated firmly. A warning to the skeptics. Philippe knows that the 2027 election will be played on titanic issues. Heavy words weigh on his shoulders: democratic, budgetary, security perils. The shadow of an unstable France worries him. His program, still to be drawn, will be based on deep reforms. Transformation is needed. Action is needed. That is what matters to him.
But who is Édouard Philippe really? This graduate of ENA and Sciences Po was initially a fervent defender of Michel Rocard of the Socialist Party. Then, in an unexpected move, he turned to the right, joining Alain Juppé to found the UMP in 2002. Loyalty is his guiding thread, but it is not infallible. When Juppé fails, Philippe takes flight, building his own path.
In May 2017, Emmanuel Macron chose him. A former opponent in his camp. A rarity in the Fifth Republic. Prime Minister at 46, he faced an unprecedented challenge. France was shaken. The Yellow Vests movement, which exploded in 2018, put Philippe to the test. His firm management, sometimes criticized, did not make him falter. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, he held firm, with calculated coldness. By his side, France weathered the storm.
After his departure from Matignon in 2020, Philippe remained in the background, but his shadow still looms. Horizons, his party, was born in 2021. A political space dedicated to the reconstruction of the right, far from partisan divides too narrow for his taste. This party becomes the instrument of his presidential strategy. Philippe is patient. He observes, analyzes, while quietly weaving his alliances. The dissolution of the National Assembly in 2024, a decision by Macron, hastens the moment of rupture. The political bond between the two men frays, but Philippe remains a distant, yet present ally.
Now, it is towards 2027 that his ambitions turn. His candidacy is not a surprise. It is nonetheless significant. "For a presidential election, you must want nothing else," he confides. This phrase sums it all up. The man is ready. Édouard Philippe is resolute, entirely focused on the future.
His rise is that of a discreet, yet powerful man. His past in public affairs and at Areva has given him a keen sense of economic and environmental issues. However, some criticize him for his management of nuclear energy. But Philippe is not one to back down. Amateur boxer, he loves confrontation, in the ring as in the political arena.
With hair and a beard now absent, this radical physical change perhaps reflects a new phase in his public life. Appearance is just a detail for the one who dreams of leading France into a new era. Political attacks fly, but Édouard Philippe is far from being fazed. The challenge is great. He is ready to take it on.