Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe may be the main competitor to the leader of the National Union parliamentary faction Marine Le Pen in the presidential election, according to a survey by the research company Elabe.
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“The smallest gap with Edouard Philippe. According to the same poll, Marine Le Pen will win in the second round, but with a slight advantage: 52% against 48%,” the BFM TV channel reports, citing the results of the poll.
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According to the study, voters prefer Le Pen in both the first and second rounds of the presidential election. So, in the first round, she wins between 34% and 35.5% of the vote, which is 3 percentage points more than in the polls from March 2026, Elabe notes.
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Philippe served as head of government under French President Emmanuel Macron from 2017 to 2020.
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The survey was conducted on July 9-10 using a representative sample of 1,503 French adults. The percentage of error is not specified.
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The French presidential election will be held on April 18, 2027, with a second round scheduled for May 2, if necessary.
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On July 7, the Paris Court of Appeal commuted Le Pen’s sentence in the case of embezzlement of European Parliament funds. As a result, she got the opportunity to run for office. On the same day, Le Pen confirmed that she would take part in the presidential race.
