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2027 presidential election: Édouard Philippe again refuses a centre-right primary

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AT A GLANCE
  • Édouard Philippe again refuses to take part in a centre-right primary.
  • He calls it a “primary of division and confusion” and does not believe it will take place.
  • It all started when Gabriel Attal revived the idea on 28 October.
Archive photo of Édouard Philippe in 2017. Not a photo of his appearance on 1 November.
Nicolas Richoffer · CC BY-SA 4.0Archive photo of Édouard Philippe in 2017. Not a photo of his appearance on 1 November.
In this article

What Édouard Philippe said

According to franceinfo, the Horizons candidate for the 2027 presidential election, Édouard Philippe, again closed the door on Sunday 1 November, on TF1’s evening news, to taking part in a centre-right primary. “I don’t think this primary will take place,” he said, calling it a “primary of division and confusion”.

Where the proposal came from

The idea of such a vote had been revived on Wednesday (28 October) by Gabriel Attal, whom franceinfo describes as “losing ground in the polls”, before being dismissed by his main rivals in his camp. France 24 headlines that the centre-right primary “will not take place”.

The reasons given

Édouard Philippe stressed that the aim of a primary is to emphasise the “differences” between candidates, and that it would bring together “people who do not agree”: on one side “continuers of Macronism, for Mr Attal”, on the other “others who pave the way for a union of the right”, such as the Républicains’ Bruno Retailleau or David Lisnard.

What a primary is

A primary is used to choose, before the election, a single candidate from several in the same camp, to avoid splitting the vote. Here, candidates refuse to take part and nothing indicates that it will be organised. This describes the situation according to the people involved to date.

LANGUAGE NOTES

Learn the grammar

Explained in English

French grammar

Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.

01The present indicative
Structure

est / sont + attribute (noun, adjective, prepositional phrase)

In the article
Édouard Philippe a souligné que l’objectif d’une primaire est d’appuyer sur les « différences » entre candidats, et qu’elle réunirait des « gens qui ne sont pas d’accord » : d’un côté « des continuateurs du macronisme, pour M.
Key points

Être in the present is est for a singular subject and sont for a plural one. It describes nature, state or place (“is”, “is located”). If what follows (the attribute) is a noun, adjective or prepositional phrase, it is not a passive. If a past participle follows, it is a passive (est annoncé). Headlines and summaries often use the present to describe the current situation.

02The passé composé
Structure

present of avoir + past participle

In the article
Ce qu’a dit Édouard Philippe
Key points

The passé composé is the most common past tense, used for “did” and “has done” — actions completed in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir (a / ont…) in the present + a past participle. Past participles of -er verbs end in -é (annoncer → annoncé); learn the irregular ones (faire → fait, prendre → pris, voir → vu). In the negative, ne … pas wraps the auxiliary (n’a pas annoncé). In the news it reports facts that have already happened, such as “announced” or “voted”.

03The imparfait
Structure

stem (nous form of the present) + -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient

In the article
Gabriel Attal avait relancé l’idée d’une primaire pour 2027.
Key points

The imparfait describes states, background, habits and actions in progress in the past (il était, elle avait, ils pensaient). Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons, and add -ais / -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient. If the passé composé gives “the event itself”, the imparfait paints “the situation at the time”.

04The present conditional
Structure

stem (infinitive) + -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient

In the article
Édouard Philippe a souligné que l’objectif d’une primaire est d’appuyer sur les « différences » entre candidats, et qu’elle réunirait des « gens qui ne sont pas d’accord » : d’un côté « des continuateurs du macronisme, pour M.
Key points

The conditional expresses possibility, supposition, unconfirmed information and polite requests (“would”, “might”). It uses the same stem as the future and the same endings as the imparfait (-ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient): pouvoir → il pourrait. In the news it is used to avoid asserting, as in “is reported to…” or “there is a possibility…”.

05The passive voice in the present
Structure

être (est / sont) + past participle (+ par / de)

In the article
Ici, des candidats refusent d’y participer et rien n’indique qu’elle sera organisée.
Key points

The passive means “is done” or “is being done”. It is formed with être + past participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number (la mesure est adoptée / les mesures sont adoptées). The agent is introduced by par (or de). In the news it is common when the event, rather than the actor, is the focus (est prévu / est annoncé / est connu).

06The passive in the passé composé
Structure

a / ont été + past participle

In the article
L’idée d’un tel scrutin avait été relancée mercredi (28 octobre) par Gabriel Attal, que franceinfo décrit « en perte de vitesse dans les sondages », avant d’être écartée par ses principaux concurrents dans son camp.
Key points

The past passive means “was done”. Its form is present of avoir + été (past participle of être) + past participle. Été does not change, but the last participle agrees with the subject in gender and number (la loi a été votée / les textes ont été votés). It is frequent in news reporting results such as votes, decisions and announcements.

07Pronominal verbs
Structure

se / s’ + verb

In the article
Il s’agit de l’état de la situation d’après les déclarations des intéressés à ce jour.
Key points

A pronominal verb is used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) before the verb. It can mean “do to oneself”, “be done” or “do to each other”. In the news, se traduire (to result in), se tenir (to take place), s’agir de (to be a matter of) and se diffuser (to spread) are frequent. The pronoun changes with the subject (il se tient / ils se tiennent / je me souviens).

08Negation and its scope
Structure

ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus

In the article
Selon franceinfo, le candidat Horizons à la présidentielle de 2027 Édouard Philippe a de nouveau fermé la porte, dimanche 1er novembre au « JT » de TF1, à une participation à une primaire de la droite et du centre. « Je ne crois pas que cette primaire aura lieu », a-t-il dit, la qualifiant de « primaire de la division et de la confusion ».
Key points

Normally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.

09Citing a source with selon
Structure

selon + noun / organisation

In the article
Selon franceinfo, le candidat Horizons à la présidentielle de 2027 Édouard Philippe a de nouveau fermé la porte, dimanche 1er novembre au « JT » de TF1, à une participation à une primaire de la droite et du centre. « Je ne crois pas que cette primaire aura lieu », a-t-il dit, la qualifiant de « primaire de la division et de la confusion ».
Key points

Selon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.

10Purpose with pour
Structure

pour + infinitive

In the article
Une primaire sert à choisir, avant l’élection, un seul candidat parmi plusieurs d’un même camp, pour éviter la dispersion des voix.
Key points

This is the purpose, “in order to…”. Put the base form of a verb after pour. The purpose stated here is separate from whether the effect was actually achieved.

11The construction il s’agit de
Structure

il s’agit de + noun / infinitive

In the article
Il s’agit de l’état de la situation d’après les déclarations des intéressés à ce jour.
Key points

It explains what something is about: “it is a matter of…”. The il is not a particular man but a formal subject of this construction. The negative il ne s’agit pas de means “this is not about…”.

12The subject relative pronoun qui
Structure

noun + qui + verb

In the article
Attal », de l’autre « d’autres qui ouvrent la voie à l’union des droites », comme les Républicains Bruno Retailleau ou David Lisnard.
Key points

Qui continues a description of the person or thing just mentioned (“the one that does…”). Because qui is itself the subject of the next verb, do not repeat the subject. The verb agrees with the noun qui refers to.

Explained in English

Japanese grammar

Understand the structure and usage from the text.

01Citing a source: によると
Structure

noun + によると

In the article
franceinfoによると、2027年の大統領選に立候補を表明している政党「オリゾン(Horizons)」のエドゥアール・フィリップ氏は、11月1日(日)夜、民放TF1のニュース番組で、右派・中道の予備選への参加を改めて拒否しました。
Key points

As in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.

02Cause or purpose with ため
Structure

〜ため / 〜ために

In the article
今回は、候補者本人たちが参加を拒んでいるため、実施の見通しは立っていません。
Key points

ため is used for both reason and purpose. “成立ではないため” is a reason and “運転手を守るため” a purpose. Decide from the whole sentence whether what precedes is a cause or a goal.

03The polite past ました
Structure

verb stem (連用形) + ました

In the article
2027年の大統領選に向けて、ガブリエル・アタル氏が呼びかけた予備選に、フィリップ氏は「分裂と混乱の予備選」と反対しました。
Key points

In “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.

04Quoting with と: content and report
Structure

plain-form sentence + と + verbe de parole (報じる, 説明する…)

In the article
「この予備選が行われるとは思わない」と述べ、「分裂と混乱の予備選だ」と語りました。
Key points

と takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.

05Treating a clause like a noun with こと
Structure

plain-form sentence + こと + particle

In the article
フィリップ氏は、予備選の目的は候補者の「違い」を強調することにあると指摘しました。
Key points

“〜すること” treats an action or content like a noun. The particle after it (が・を・は…) shows its role in the sentence. “ことができる” is a fixed combination meaning “can”.

06Linking actions with the て-form
Structure

verb て-form + next expression

In the article
予備選のアイデアは、水曜日(10月28日)に、ガブリエル・アタル氏が改めて持ち出しました。
Key points

The て-form links actions in a series, in order or as a reason. In “確認して、出発する” the relation is judged from the content. In “〜ている” it can show an action in progress or a continuing state.

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