TheThe last eight years have not been kind to France’s two historically dominant political parties. `But the old guard is eyeing a comeback, reports Politico.
With President Emmanuel Macron constitutionally barred from seeking a third term; the far right’s Marine Le Pen currently barred from running due to an embezzlement conviction; and a voting public fed up and looking for a return to normalcy, whatever that may be, France’s two establishment parties — the center-left Socialists and the center-right Les Républicains — sense an opportunity to return to the good old days of the pre-Macron two-party system.
Optimism abounds within Les Républicains after Bruno Retailleau, the popular, hard-line interior minister, won the race to become their next leader.
Now it’s the Socialists’ turn to pick someone to steer the ship. On Thursday, party members will elect a first secretary in a high-stakes vote that will determine a direction leading into the 2027 presidential election.
