People who reckon French President Emmanuel Macron’s current term will be his last should think again.
The French constitution prevents him from running for a third consecutive mandate in 2027, but Macron could run for a third mandate in 2032, top ally François Bayrou suggested in an interview with POLITICO’s Playbook Paris.
Bayrou, president of the Democratic Movement, Macron’s key partner in the governing coalition, said that “[Macron’s] role in French politics won’t stop with his second term.”
The centrist leader then hinted at a third presidential run, using the French word “deuxième” (second) to refer to Macron’s current term, which in French implies there could be a third — the distinction is important coming from Bayrou, a former literature teacher and education minister.
“Money doesn’t interest him, and neither do pompous job titles in international organizations,” he said. “Inevitably, he will be a reference in French political life, not for the past, but for the future.”
Macron’s second stint in the Elysée ends in 2027, but he would have to wait for 2032 for a third mandate, as the French constitution prohibits presidents from running after two consecutive terms.
Bayrou did not say what Macron would do in the meantime.
Bayrou himself, who already has three presidential campaigns under his belt, is thought to be vying for the job in 2027.
He has “always been ready,” he said last week, although he added it was “foolish” to already discuss what would happen more than four years away. “Obviously, as a citizen, I’m interested in the — distant — prospect of an election,” he told Playbook.
