Raphaël Glucksmann wins primary to represent the democratic left in 2027

Raphaël Glucksmann, a Member of the European Parliament and co-founder of the party Place publique, won the primary for France's Socialist Party (PS) this past weekend. He secured 66 per cent of the votes in an online ballot involving approximately 120,000 participants, a result that far exceeded pre-election polls which had predicted he would receive at most 30 per cent. This decisive victory in the first round cancels the runoff vote originally scheduled for the coming weekend.

The victory marks a significant shift for the Socialist Party, which for the first time in decades is not fielding a candidate from its own ranks for a presidential election, according to taz. Glucksmann now stands as the designated candidate for a political camp that defines itself as the "democratic left," explicitly distancing itself from Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France insoumise (LFI).

A victory against the odds

The primary was open to all eligible voters in France for a fee of 15 euros. While taz reports that 140,000 people had registered, nd reports that 120,000 votes were cast. Of these, approximately 80,000 were from individuals who are not members of the Socialist Party, according to nd.

The voting process faced technical difficulties when hacker attacks blocked access to the internet platform for several hours, forcing the organizers to extend the voting period by 24 hours. The identity of those responsible for the attacks has not yet been determined.

Glucksmann’s opponents received significantly lower shares of the vote. PS leader Olivier Faure received 14 per cent, while Ségolène Royal obtained 7.6 per cent. Emmanuel Maurel and Jérôme Guedj each received around 5.8 to 6 per cent. While Maurel and Guedj offered their support for Glucksmann's campaign, taz notes that Royal was more critical of his victory.

Strategy and internal divisions

Immediately after the results were announced, Glucksmann stated he would be the "candidate of social and tax justice, the ecological revolution and democracy," according to nd. He seeks a political new beginning for France, aiming to reduce social inequalities and economic and energetic dependencies while strengthening European integration. He has pledged a complete break from the decade-long policies pursued by Emmanuel Macron.

However, Glucksmann faces a difficult path toward the 2027 presidential election. He has stated his intention to fight the hegemony of La France insoumise and Jean-Luc Mélenchon within the French left. Unlike Faure, Glucksmann excludes any electoral agreements with LFI, according to nd. He has criticised the "left-populist" course of the LFI and, according to taz, accused Mélenchon of not clearly addressing allegations of antisemitism.

In our assessment, Glucksmann’s primary goal is to prevent a takeover of power by the far-right Rassemblement National (RN), led by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella. Yet, current polls suggest that Mélenchon may have a better chance of reaching the second round against Le Pen.

The road to 2027

The candidate must now navigate complex alliances within the left. Glucksmann hopes that the Greens (Les Ecologistes) might join him, though taz reports that some within the Green party believe Mélenchon offers more credible climate policies.

A convention is scheduled for early November to formally confirm the nomination and signal the start of the official campaign. While the primary provides a clear leader for the "democratic left," Glucksmann still faces challenges regarding his public image and the task of uniting a fractured political landscape before the spring 2027 vote.

This piece was written with the help of an AI model from the sources listed below and reviewed by a human editor before publication.

Sources

• Präsidentschaftswahlen in Frankreich | Frankreich: Glucksmann hat nur Außenseiterchancen — nd
• Sozialisten in Frankreich: Raphaël Glucksmann wird Kandidat bei Präsidentschaftswahlen — taz