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Spectator
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
France doesn't need Boomers dreaming of political comebacks
If France didn't have enough to worry about right now with its soaring rates of debt, crime and immigration, now comes news of a political comeback. Dominique de Villepin, prime minister between 2005 and 2007, earlier this month launched his political party called Humanist France. 'I decided to create a movement of ideas, of citizens, through the creation of a political party,' he explained. 'This movement is for everyone. We need to unite all French people to defend social justice and the republican order,' he said. Given some of his recent statements about Israel, de Villepin will have his work cut out to unite the country. In October, the Jewish philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy accused de Villepin of anti-Semitism and last week three prominent members of France's Jewish community refused to shake his hand at a ceremony. De Villepin has strongly denied Lévy's accusations. He also angered conservatives when he said recently he has no problem with little girls wearing the hijab. 'I'm not a fashion designer,' he declared. Boomers have nothing to bequeath to France The 71-year-old de Villepin, who reportedly has his eye on the presidential election in 2027, is best known outside France for his eloquent speech to the United Nations in February 2003. At the time, he was the foreign minister in the government of Jacques Chirac when France refused to join George W Bush's coalition of the willing against Iraq. France, de Villepin told the UN, 'has never ceased to stand upright in the face of history and before mankind' but it could not back military action against Iraq because 'there is an alternative to war, disarming Iraq through inspections'. It was a dignified address from a man known for his elegance as much as his eloquence. But Villepin hasn't always been as principled since leaving political office in 2007. A year later, a French business paper remarked that de Villepin was prospering financially in his new life as a consultant and international lawyer, and 'has only to open his address book to make an appointment with [Vladimir] Putin'. In 2014 the Daily Telegraph broke an embarrassing story about whether de Villepin had repaid a €100,000 bonus awarded to him by a governmental 'administrative error'. His spokesperson said he had repaid it as soon as he realised the mistake. The next year a French current affairs weekly ran a feature headlined 'The Secret Lives of Dominique de Villepin' in which it said his business was booming: from China to Russia to Saudi Arabia and particularly Qatar, thanks to his warm relationship with the ruling Al Thani family. In an angry television interview last year, de Villepin refused to elaborate on how he earned his money and from whom. Nor did he adequately explain why his company last published its accounts in 2008. 'By definition, when you have consulting activities, you don't give the names of the people,' he explained, adding that 'I would be totally prepared to do so on a confidential basis'. He assured his interviewer that 'there is no foreign power behind it'. The interview was a grimly fascinating reminder of the arrogance of De Villepin's caste. They are the Bourgeois Boomer generation, which evolved from the protests of May 1968 convinced they were born to rule. They include Nicolas Sarkozy, Alain Juppe, Francois Hollande, Michel Barnier and Christiane Taubira. The latter was the Minister of Justice in Hollande's Socialist government a decade ago. She attempted a comeback for the 2022 presidential election but was forced to withdraw when she could muster only 181 of the 500 sponsors of elected officials required to run. Hollande is also said to be considering running for the 2027 election, forgetting that he was the most despised president in the history of the Fifth Republic. At least he was until Emmanuel Macron arrived on the scene. This generation of Boomers with their barely distinguishable centrist ideology – De Villepin claims to be from the centre-right but he is more popular these days with the left – are blamed for the terrible decline of France this century. Economically, culturally, socially, academically and morally, France is in a desperate state. Last week it was revealed that public debt hit a record €3,346 billion (£2,887 billion) at the start of 2025, €40 billion (£34.5 billion) more than at the end of 2024. Doubtless, de Villepin (who was never elected to public office during his political career) looks at some of the leading politicians in France today – such as Jordan Bardella, Gabriel Attal, Marion Marechal, Francois Xavier-Bellamy, Marine Tondelier and Mathilde Panot – and sees thirty-something whippersnappers in need of schooling. That was how Michel Barnier treated Gabriel Attal when he replaced him as prime minister last September. Three months later Barnier was out on his ear, brought down by his own incompetence. Boomers have nothing to bequeath to France. Their day has passed and they should go quietly into the night. Whether Xers and Millennials will be able to clean up their mess is uncertain. The damage caused by the 68ers to the Fifth Republic may be irreparable.
Euronews
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
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.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former French PM launches new party two years before presidential election
Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin has announced the launch of his own political party named Humanist France (La France humaniste), two years before the country's presidential election is set to take place. De Villepin, 71, was prime minister of France under ex-president Jacques Chirac between 2005 and 2007 and also the late leader's foreign minister between 2002 and 2004. The traditional right-wing politician made his mark on the global stage as Chirac's head of diplomacy, delivering an impassioned speech against the invasion of Iraq war at a UN Security Council meeting in 2003. "I decided to create a movement of ideas, of citizens, through the creation of a political party," said de Villepin in an interview with daily newspaper Le Parisien published 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 -- who was also minister of the interior under Chirac -- did not explicitly make clear his intention to stand for president but the new party is likely to be seen as a key platform for such a bid. "I am not for escalation... but for a politics of balance and measure," he said. "Against a path of tension and identity polarisation, I offer one of assembly, public interest and humanism." "French people deserve to have the choice" and not be caught "between the radicalism of the LFI (hard-left France Unbowed) and that of the RN (far-right National Rally)," he told Le Parisien. The contours of the French 2027 presidential election remain largely unclear, with centre-right former prime minister Edouard Philippe the only major player to clearly state he will stand and President Emmanuel Macron barred from seeking another mandate. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is eager to stand for fourth time but her conviction earlier this year in a fake jobs scandal disqualifies her from running for public office. She has appealed, and waiting in the wings is her protege Jordan Bardella, 29, who would stand if Le Pen was ineligible. De Villepin, who polls show to be France's most popular politician along with Philippe, declined to say explicitly that he would stand saying "now is not the time to enter into the presidential debate." But he added: "Faced with the path of tension and polarisation of identities, I propose that of unity, of the general interest, and of humanism." la-jmt-cbn/mct/sjw/giv
The Guardian
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ex-French PM Dominique de Villepin launches party with view to 2027 presidential run
The former French prime minister and foreign policy chief Dominique de Villepin has launched a political party called Humanist France, with a view to a possible bid for the French presidency in 2027. De Villepin, who was prime minister under the rightwing president Jacques Chirac from 2005 to 2007, is best known for his dramatic speech to the United Nations in 2003, setting out France's opposition to a US-led Iraq war and warning of the 'incalculable consequences' of military action in the region. Despite leaving French politics over a decade ago, de Villepin has enjoyed a significant increase in popularity after recent media appearances criticising Israel's war in Gaza. He has said the west is 'closing its eyes' to what he called a scandalous 'spiral of violence' and rising civilian deaths. Recent polls showed de Villepin's stance on the Middle East crisis has made him the most popular politician in France – and that he is particularly liked by leftwing voters, despite having led a rightwing government. De Villepin, 71, told Le Parisien on Tuesday that too many parties in France were 'tempted by populism, one-upmanship and stigmatisation' and France needed to move away from the identity politics polarising the country. He said his party, La France humaniste, was free to join and open to anyone from any political stance. It was a movement aimed at bringing together citizens and coming up with ideas, he said. Asked about running in the 2027 presidential election, de Villepin said it was not the moment to 'enter the presidential debate'. But he left the way open for consideration of a possible bid. De Villepin told France Inter radio on Tuesday that the world was becoming a more dangerous place 'because we're now in a world without rules, without international law, where the law of the jungle, the law of the strongest prevails'. A gaullist who historically positioned himself on the centre-right, de Villepin's term as prime minister under Chirac was marred by the biggest street protests in decades, which forced him to scrap a controversial youth employment law. Christelle Craplet, director of opinion at BVA pollsters, said de Villepin's high popularity was not the same as a firm intention to vote for him. She said his popularity was greatest not among his traditional centre-right, but among supporters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon's leftwing party, La France Insoumise, for whom Gaza was a key issue. A recent BVA poll asking French voters a more specific question on who they would like to have an influence on French politics in the future, found de Villepin came relatively low down, in 17th position, far behind the far-right's Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen, and the centre-right former prime minister, Édouard Philippe. Craplet said: 'Dominique de Villepin made an impression 20 years ago with his refusal of the Iraq war, and today his strong position on Gaza is also making an impression. He is popular because he has a strong voice on the Middle East conflict and part of the French electorate feel not enough is being said about Gaza. This is particularly true among those who sympathise with La France Insoumise.' She said: 'But I think that if tomorrow de Villepin had to set out his position on domestic French politics – the economy and social measures – support from left voters wouldn't last. So I think it's very paradoxical, and today it seems to me like a bit of a bubble.' The 2027 French presidential race remains open. Emmanuel Macron, who has served two successive terms, cannot run again and it is uncertain who will represent his centrist party. The far-right leader Marine Le Pen was this year banned from running for public office after she was found guilty of embezzlement of European parliament funds. She is waiting for an appeals trial next year to see if she could run, or would be replaced by Jordan Bardella.
Straits Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Former French PM Villepin launches new party two years before presidential election
Popular former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin is forming a party, but has not confirmed whether or not he will stand in France's presidential election. PHOTO: AFP Former French PM Villepin launches new party two years before presidential election PARIS - Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin has announced the launch of his own political party named Humanist France (La France humaniste), two years before the country's presidential election is set to take place. Mr De Villepin, 71, was prime minister of France under ex-president Jacques Chirac between 2005 and 2007 and also the late leader's foreign minister between 2002 and 2004. The traditional right-wing politician made his mark on the global stage as Mr Chirac's head of diplomacy, delivering an impassioned speech against the invasion of Iraq war at a UN Security Council meeting in 2003. 'I decided to create a movement of ideas, of citizens, through the creation of a political party,' said Mr de Villepin, in an interview with daily newspaper Le Parisien published on June 24. 'This movement is for everyone. We need to unite all French people to defend social justice and the republican order,' he added. Mr De Villepin – who was also minister of the interior under Mr Chirac – did not explicitly make clear his intention to stand for president but the new party is likely to be seen as a key platform for such a bid. 'I am not for escalation... but for a politics of balance and measure,' he said. 'Against a path of tension and identity polarisation, I offer one of assembly, public interest and humanism.' 'French people deserve to have the choice' and not be caught 'between the radicalism of the LFI (hard-left France Unbowed) and that of the RN (far-right National Rally),' he told Le Parisien. The contours of the French 2027 presidential election remain largely unclear, with centre-right former prime minister Edouard Philippe the only major player to clearly state he will stand and President Emmanuel Macron barred from seeking another mandate. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is eager to stand for fourth time, but her conviction earlier this year in a fake jobs scandal disqualifies her from running for public office. She has appealed, and waiting in the wings is her protege, Mr Jordan Bardella, 29, who would stand if Ms Le Pen was ineligible. If French far-right leader Marine Le Pen (left) is judged to be ineligible for the presidential election, her protege Jordan Bardella will stand instead. PHOTO: REUTERS Mr De Villepin, who polls show to be France's most popular politician along with Mr Philippe, declined to say explicitly that he would stand saying 'now is not the time to enter into the presidential debate.' But he added: 'Faced with the path of tension and polarisation of identities, I propose that of unity, of the general interest, and of humanism.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
