The Parti socialiste (PS) and its ally Place Publique agreed on Tuesday on the rules for a primary that will select their joint candidate for France's 2027 presidential election. The small Gauche républicaine et socialiste (GRS) party, led by MP Emmanuel Maurel, could also join the process.
The primary is meant to produce a credible social-democratic alternative to Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the hard-left La France insoumise (LFI), who currently leads left-wing voting intentions. A Harris Interactive-Toluna poll for RTL and M6, published Monday, suggested Mélenchon is positioned to reach the second round against Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Rassemblement National.
How the vote will work
The primary will be held electronically, with a single name per round over two rounds if needed. The first round runs from 8am on Friday, October 9, 2026, until 8pm on Saturday, October 10, 2026. A second round, if required, would run from 8am on Friday, October 16 until 8pm on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
To stand, candidates must gather sponsorships from either 15 members of the PS national council, 10 members of parliament, 50 regional or departmental councillors spread across eight departments and three regions, or 50 mayors spread across three regions. Candidates must formally declare between September 1 and September 15.
Who has declared
MEP Raphaël Glucksmann declared his candidacy on Sunday evening during TF1's 20H news broadcast. Before him, MPs Philippe Brun and Jérôme Guedj, along with Ségolène Royal, the Socialist Party's 2007 presidential candidate, had already announced their intention to run. According to TF1's political desk, a candidacy from PS First Secretary Olivier Faure is barely in doubt, though when and where he will announce it remains unclear.
Who has ruled themselves out
Karim Bouamrane, the mayor of Saint-Ouen and a presidential hopeful, has excluded taking part in the primary. He was expected to address the matter again on Wednesday morning on TF1. Former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has also ruled out running.
Former President François Hollande playing spoiler also looks unlikely. A person close to Hollande told TF1info that they did not believe he would take part because the electorate for the primary is too narrow, adding that his small rise in the polls in a way gives him reason to wait until autumn.
Who can vote and what it costs
Voting will be open to PS and Place Publique members who are up to date with their membership dues, as well as anyone who joins one of the two parties or contributes to a newly created third-party structure for people who do not want to join a party outright. That structure will be called the "Association de financement de la désignation de la candidature de la gauche socialiste et démocratique." Joining costs 15 euros, or 10 euros for those on lower incomes.
Brun, Royal and the PS leadership had pushed for a lower fee to encourage turnout in the process, but did not get their way. Voters will not be able to join a party or pay dues on the day of the vote itself; they must do so at least three days before either the first or second round.
LFI as the real dividing line
The PS leadership secured the removal, from the values charter all candidates must sign, of a clause stating there would be no deal with LFI in legislative elections, a clause Glucksmann had wanted included. Speaking on TF1 on Sunday, Glucksmann said that if he won the primary, there would never again be a deal with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, while acknowledging that not everyone within the Socialist Party appears to agree with that position.
An early favourite?
On July 9, Socialist Party members voted by more than 55% in favour of a closed primary, a format seen as broadly favourable to Glucksmann. Faure had originally proposed opening the vote to Socialist sympathisers for a two-euro contribution, to make the electorate as wide as possible.
Faure had also wanted the primary's winner to go on to take part in a unitary left-wing primary excluding LFI, alongside the Greens and former LFI figures Clémentine Autain and François Ruffin, a scenario in which he appeared better placed to act as a unifying figure.
