Saint-Raphaël (France) (AFP) – Gabriel Attal on Sunday refuted the argument against the primary put forward by Édouard Philippe, judging that the "division" was already at work within the right and the center and that "withdrawing for someone who was largely beaten in the second round" made "no sense".

Published on: 08/11/2026 - 2:00 p.m.

"Some say: the primary will cause division. Finally, don't you have the impression that today there is division? Do you really think that if we stay in this situation for three, four, five, six months, it will help that there is a candidate who stands out? Well no", declared the Renaissance candidate for the presidential election during the Rencontres de l'Avenir in Saint-Raphaël (Var).

The day before, in this same place, Édouard Philippe had reiterated his opposition to this tie-breaking process which, according to him, would bring "division", and called for the "responsibility" of the candidates, the least well placed of whom will have to withdraw by February.

“Withdrawing for someone who is widely beaten in the second round, and who is not even given the second round, because he is third or even fourth in the polls and very far behind, that makes no sense,” Mr. Attal then declared on Sunday to the press.

"What will allow us to create a dynamic, or rather to have an impetus" is "the organization of a primary in which many French people participate, which gives rise to debates which allow us to present our project. It is not to organize small administrative and backroom agreements which disgust the French", added the former Prime Minister.

This primary is “inevitable”. “Maybe for some, it takes a little more time to be convinced of the arguments, to see the situation as it is today. But look, two or three weeks ago, almost no one was for the primary,” he said in reference to the Republican (LR) candidate Bruno Retailleau, who is now in favor.

© 2026 AFP

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