Raphaël Glucksmann secured the French center-left’s presidential nomination on Sunday, winning 66.13% of the vote in the first round of the primary to become the unified candidate for the 2027 election. The pro-European Member of the European Parliament, who leads the small Place Publique party, defeated Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure, who finished second with roughly 15%, along with former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal and other rivals .
Over 120,000 voters participated in the primary, marking the first time the Socialist Party endorsed a non-member as its presidential candidate . Glucksmann framed the result as proof that “a left true to its values can unite, govern and win,” emphasizing justice, environmental protection, and republican principles in a post on X .
The victory positions Glucksmann as the center-left’s standard-bearer against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, with organizers confirming his outright win in the first round . He has ruled out alliances with hard-left figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon, instead pledging to rally the “democratic left” .
