Faure enters primary race as Glucksmann maintains polling lead
Faure joins primary race with Glucksmann leading polls in Socialist contest.
Event / Politics
French Socialist Party primary election for the 2027 presidential race, featuring multiple candidates competing to become the party's presidential nominee.
2026-08-25 to 2026-10-29 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 25 Aug, 12:04 UTC
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The Socialist Party (PS) and Place publique, led by Raphaël Glucksmann, validated an agreement on August 25, 2026 establishing the procedures for a social-democratic primary election to select their joint presidential candidate. The primary will be held in two rounds: October 9-10 and October 16-17. The vote will use electronic balloting with each voter casting one vote.
Voters eligible to participate in the socialist primary must pay a 15 euro participation fee (10 euros for lower-income participants) to either join one of the two parties or contribute to a third-party structure called the 'Association de financement de la désignation de la candidature de la gauche socialiste et démocratique'. Payment must be completed at least 3 days before voting begins. Some candidates sought a lower fee to encourage participation but did not succeed.
Four candidates declared their intention to participate in the socialist primary: Raphaël Glucksmann (Place publique), and three Socialist Party members—deputies Philippe Brun and Jérôme Guedj, and former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal. PS leader Olivier Faure had not yet announced his candidacy. Candidates must declare between September 1-15, 2026.
The small Gauche républicaine et socialiste (GRS) party, led by deputy Emmanuel Maurel, was reported to be considering participation in the socialist primary as a third party alongside the Socialist Party and Place publique.
The Socialist Party leadership successfully opposed including language in the primary candidate charter stating that there would be no agreement with La France Insoumise (LFI) during legislative elections. Raphaël Glucksmann had sought to include this provision but was unsuccessful; he pledged to make this a subject of public debate.
To qualify for the socialist primary ballot, candidates must secure endorsements from either: fifteen Socialist Party national council members, ten parliamentarians, fifty regional or departmental councillors across eight departments and three regions, or fifty mayors spread across three regions.
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