Three prominent figures in French politics, Christine Lagarde, Bruno Le Maire, and Pierre Moscovici, are making moves to influence the country’s political debate ahead of the 2027 presidential elections. Lagarde, the current President of the European Central Bank, announced she will step down on 7 February 2027, nine months before her term ends. She cited a desire to regain her freedom of speech and engage in issues beyond monetary policy. In July, she expressed concern about the polarised French political landscape and the risk of Europhobic leadership.
Le Maire, who served as Macron’s Minister for the Economy from 2017 to 2024, is observing the political scene from Switzerland, where he teaches at the Enterprise for Society research centre. He has not ruled out participating in the centrist primaries and has already contributed a 60-page manifesto proposing a “Federation of nation-states” among six key EU countries. He views Lagarde as a strong potential candidate for the presidency, given France’s economic challenges, including a deficit exceeding 5 per cent of GDP.
Moscovici, another former Minister for the Economy, resigned from the European Court of Auditors in October, citing family reasons and a desire to contribute to the public debate. He plans to publish a book in January on public debt and Europe, which is seen as a manifesto for the upcoming elections.
While none of the three have confirmed presidential candidacies, their return to the French political stage signals a push for pro-European and reformist positions in a debate increasingly dominated by extremist parties.