Raphaël Glucksmann Wins French Left's Primary for 2027 Presidential Election

Raphaël Glucksmann secured a decisive victory in the French social-democratic left's primary election on Sunday, winning 66.17% of the vote in the first round. He garnered 79,613 out of 120,787 ballots cast, fulfilling his goal of being designated the candidate without a runoff. Glucksmann, a Member of the European Parliament, is now officially the camp's contender for the 2027 presidential race.

Olivier Faure, the First Secretary of the Socialist Party, finished a distant second with 14.46% of the vote, a result seen as a rejection of his strategy to unite the entire left. The other three candidates, Ségolène Royal, Jérôme Guedj, and Emmanuel Maurel, all fell below the 10% threshold.

In his victory speech, Glucksmann declared himself the "candidate of the democratic left," capable of defeating "our eternal enemy, the far-right." He outlined his plan to first unite the "socialist family," then the broader democratic left, before confronting their main adversary. He vowed to unite "to go into battle and prevent the Trumpists, the Putinists, the xenophobes, and the demagogues from taking over the Republic."

Approximately 140,000 voters were eligible to participate. The online voting, which began Friday, was extended until Sunday evening due to a cyberattack that significantly slowed the platform. The clear result avoids a second round that would have been held next week.

Regarding the conflict in the Middle East, Glucksmann condemned Hamas's "terrorism" and supported a two-state solution, while denouncing the "carnage" in Gaza. He refrained from using the term "genocide," calling for extreme caution, and distinguished between criticism of the Israeli government and antisemitism, stating that "a Jewish Frenchman has nothing to do with Netanyahu."

Glucksmann has been a vocal critic of Israel's conduct in the war. In April 2024, as the Socialist list leader for the European elections, he accused the Israeli government of "razing the Gaza Strip" and lamented the European Union's "aphasia" regarding Palestinian civilians. During the primary debates, he emphasized human rights and Europe's potential role in mediation.