Overview
- Gabriel Attal announced his run on Friday, May 22, 2026, in Mur-de-Barrez and is running as leader of the Renaissance party.
- At 37 he is the youngest person to have served as prime minister and the first openly gay holder of the office, and he resigned after Emmanuel Macron called early elections in 2024.
- Attal has publicly distanced himself from Macron and has not yet published a detailed program but is described as following a pro-European, pro-business line.
- His entry makes him a central center-right contender alongside Édouard Philippe and reshapes who could face the far right in 2027 run-offs.
- Polling currently shows RN leader Jordan Bardella ahead in the first round but Marine Le Pen’s ability to run depends on a July appeals court decision that could alter the race’s dynamics.