Three leading contenders for the French presidency have been targeted by coordinated online disinformation campaigns linked to Russia over a two-week period, according to French political figures and security officials.
The covert operations targeted former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and European Parliament member Raphael Glucksmann. The surge in digital interference comes as political parties across France begin positioning themselves for the 2027 presidential election to choose a successor to President Emmanuel Macron.
Edouard Philippe was the first politician hit by the campaign during the week of July 24. Social media posts circulated fabricated information about his health, claiming that the centre-right leader was suffering from frontotemporal dementia. The posts asserted that the neurodegenerative condition would prevent the mayor of Le Havre from competing in the 2027 race for the Elysee Palace.
Philippe served as prime minister of France from 2017 to 2020 during Macron's first presidential term. He currently serves as the mayor of the northern port city of Le Havre and leads Horizons, a centre-right political party he founded in 2021 to anchor centrist and moderate conservative voters.
Fabricated Media Outlets and Deepfakes
Raphael Glucksmann announced on Tuesday, August 4, that French security authorities had alerted him to an online attack originating from Russia. A fraudulent digital outlet mimicking the visual design and branding of the French online news platform Blast released a video claiming that his partner, journalist Lea Salame, attempted to bribe media organizations to favor his political candidacy.
A security source consulted by the AFP news agency described the operation as relatively sophisticated. The source stated that the campaign employed a deepfake video of veteran French investigative journalist Edwy Plenel to give the false claims wider visibility and credibility on social media networks.
Glucksmann is an essayist and politician who serves as a member of the European Parliament. He leads Place Publique, a centre-left political party that he co-founded in 2018, and recently announced his status as a probable candidate for the upcoming presidential contest.
Gabriel Attal announced the following day, Wednesday, August 5, that he had also been targeted by foreign interference coming from Russia, according to details provided by his entourage to AFP. Fraudulent postings on the social media platform X impersonated the visual identities of prominent French news outlets, including RFI, BFM, Le Parisien, Ouest-France, Liberation, France 24 and AFP.
The fraudulent articles and posts falsely claimed that Attal was exhibiting signs of Parkinson's disease and alleged that he favored policies more sympathetic to squatters occupying vacant properties. Attal currently leads Renaissance, the main centrist party founded by Macron, having previously served as France's prime minister.
Demands for Action on Foreign Interference
In the wake of the targeted attacks, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on Wednesday, August 6, that he intends to launch a joint effort with all political formations after the summer parliamentary recess to combat foreign interference in French democratic processes.
Opposition leaders responded by demanding stricter oversight of major international social media networks operating within France. Glucksmann called directly on digital platforms TikTok and X to ensure full compliance with European Union regulations regarding the moderation of disinformation and harmful digital content.
Marine Tondelier, the national secretary of the French Green party Les Ecologistes, advocated for even stronger measures against social media companies. She proposed banning Elon Musk's network X throughout France during the 2027 presidential campaign to prevent foreign actors from manipulating election coverage.
