Edouard Philippe is a former prime minister of France under Emmanuel Macron and mayor of Le Havre. His party is allied to Renaissance, Mr Macron's party. He is considered the best-placed centrist candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
In late 2025 Mr Philippe broke with centrist convention by suggesting that Mr Macron should get a budget through parliament and then resign. In March 2026 he held on to the Le Havre town hall in a tough three-way fight against the left and the hard right, defying pre-poll predictions. An opinion poll after his victory found 46% of respondents thought he would make a "good candidate" for the presidency, in a near dead heat with Jordan Bardella of the National Rally and ahead of Marine Le Pen.
It's better to be wanted for murder that not to be wanted at all.