Former French PM Dominique de Villepin launches own political party
Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has announced he is launching his own political party named Humanist France, two years before a presidential election is set to take place.
"I decided to create a movement of ideas, of citizens, through the creation of a political party," de Villepin said in an interview with the daily newspaper Le Parisien on Tuesday.
"This movement is for everyone. We need to unite all French people to defend social justice and the republican order," he added.
De Villepin was the premier of France under the previous President Jacques Chirac between 2005 and 2007.
He is perhaps best known for his impassioned 2003 speech at the UN Security Council, where he warned of the 'incalculable consequences' of France taking part in military action in Iraq.
Will de Villepin run for president?
More than a decade after stepping away from French politics, de Villepin has seen a recent spike in popularity after recent media appearances in which he condemned the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The 71-year-old politician accused Western governments of turning a blind eye to what he called a "spiral of violence" and mounting civilian casualties.
Recent polling indicates that de Villepin's outspoken stance on the Middle East has made him France's most popular political figure — particularly among left-wing voters.
When asked about potentially running in the 2027 election, he told the French press that it wasn't time to "enter the presidential debate," although he stopped short of ruling out a future campaign.
He argued that too many political parties in France were giving in to 'populism, one-upmanship and stigmatisation.'
'The French people deserve a real choice,' he told Le Parisien, adding that voters should not be forced to choose 'between the radicalism of LFI (the hard-left France Unbowed) and that of RN (the far-right National Rally).'
He announced that his new party would be free to join and open to people from all political backgrounds.
It is unclear who will emerge as the winner in the 2027 French presidential election. Current President Emmanuel Macron is barred from running, having served two successive terms.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, was banned from running this year after being found guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds. Le Pen is currently waiting for an appeals trial set to take place next year.
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