Overview
- François Bayrou put the 'tour préliminaire' idea forward at MoDem's L'Isle‑sur‑la‑Sorgue rentrée this weekend to rally non‑aligned centrists behind one candidate.
- Bayrou says a charter is ready and that the contest would use electronic voting with the aim of consolidation in January–February 2027.
- Several invited centrists, including Thierry Breton, Bernard Cazeneuve, Xavier Bertrand and Jean‑Louis Borloo, did not endorse the proposal on stage.
- Within MoDem, leaders expressed polite scepticism about the primary with senator Hervé Marseille warning against an inward‑looking process and Philippe‑aligned figures unconvinced.
- The plan underlines MoDem's struggle to preserve an autonomous centrist identity after ten years with Macron and could affect whether the centre can block a runoff between RN and LFI.