Dominique de Villepin makes an unexpected return. The former Prime Minister announces the creation of La France humaniste. This party is open and cross-cutting. Moreover, it aims to break away from the current polarization. As the 2027 presidential election looms, he intends to make his voice heard. “I am coming back because the world is falling apart,” he states, referring to the multiple economic, geopolitical, and climate fractures.
This new movement, led by Benoît Jimenez, UDI mayor of Garges-lès-Gonesse, aims to be rooted in the territories. Free, without membership fees, and composed of local committees, it aims to reconcile citizens with politics. About thirty branches are already active, according to the organizers. This approach of territorial anchoring is part of a strategy to reclaim political discourse from the grassroots.
In a country where trust in traditional parties is eroding, Villepin bets on a third way: neither populist nor technocratic. An alternative rooted in republican values but attentive to contemporary urgencies.
A critical reading of the international scene
The diagnosis of Dominique de Villepin is uncompromising. For him, diplomacy is in tatters. He condemns the American strikes in Syria and Iraq, which he considers “illegal and counterproductive.” His judgment is based on a long-held conviction: without respect for international law, chaos spreads. He believes that "we have entered an era of unrestrained brutality." He recalls his speech at the UN in 2003. On that occasion, he opposed the American intervention in Iraq.
This observation leads to a warning: the return of war as a political tool. Villepin insists that Western powers must stop isolating the global south, or risk triggering a war of blocs. According to him, France, a middle power with a diplomatic tradition, has a specific role to play: being the bridge between the powerful and the forgotten.
He therefore proposes a refoundation of multilateralism, by strengthening institutions like the UN or the International Criminal Court. The goal: to restore confidence in a regulated world order, capable of curbing escalation and abuses.
An ambition of arbitration and reconciliation
Villepin does not hide his presidential ambitions. He assures that he does not fear the rule of 500 signatures. He believes that his candidacy can emerge not from the top, but from the ground. “It is by giving voice back to the territories that we will give meaning to democracy,” he asserts. This stance contrasts with the current personalization of power.
His project is based on a regal conception of the presidential role. For him, the head of state must be an arbiter, a guarantor of institutions, above parties. He criticizes the hyper-presidential shift initiated under Nicolas Sarkozy. This shift has continued since then, according to him. He considers it contrary to the spirit of the Fifth Republic.
He thus distances himself from the Republicans, whom he finds too focused on order and identity. But he also distinguishes himself from La France insoumise, whose verbal excesses he deplores. Villepin advocates a policy of moderation, rooted in the long term, and rejecting immediacy.
An ecological and social program
In his essay The Power to Say No, published by Flammarion, Villepin defends a reformist vision of the social pact. He proposes to replace the current pension reform with a points-based system, fair and transparent. According to him, it is about restoring a principle of clarity in a debate that has become opaque.
Another major axis: the climate transition. He wants to enshrine carbon neutrality in the Constitution by 2050. He advocates for a long-term plan, accompanied by massive investments in green infrastructure. Moreover, he emphasizes the development of rail transport and thermal insulation. The State, according to him, must become a strategist, as it was in the 1960s.
He also proposes a reform of the school system to place culture at the heart of education. Furthermore, he wants to put language and debate at the center of the educational process. He calls for an emergency plan for reading and the humanities, to combat social fragmentation.
A strategy of gentle rupture
Dominique de Villepin has never been a party man. His career sets him apart. Diplomat, speechwriter for Jacques Chirac, Minister of Foreign Affairs, then Prime Minister, he has always maintained a watchful stance. He returns today, not out of nostalgia, but out of refusal to give up.
The appointment of Benoît Jimenez at the head of La France humaniste sends a strong signal. It is about breaking away from the Parisian inner circle. Jimenez, mayor of a working-class city, embodies this desire to reconcile the French with the republic.
Faced with an electoral landscape dominated by abstention, decline, and resentment, Villepin prefers dialogue to confrontation. His strategy is based on patience, long memory, and the rehabilitation of political time.
An ambitious and uncertain third way
The creation of La France humaniste marks a rare attempt: that of refounding politics from above, without denying the grassroots. Its success remains uncertain. But its method contrasts with the classic mechanics of candidacies.
In a divided France, often tempted by extremes or detachment, Dominique de Villepin offers another perspective. He bets on history, a broad vision, and coherence. A proposal that, without being flashy, seeks to breathe new life into a weary democracy.
It will be necessary to see if this vision can translate into popular momentum. But it reintroduces into the public debate a dimension that has become rare: the demand for political elegance.