Clémentine Autain quits 2027 French presidential race after socialist party closes primary

Green Party MP and former La France Insoumise member Clémentine Autain announced she will not run in the 2027 French presidential election. She said the Socialist Party’s decision to hold a closed primary, limited to party militants and allied formations, "has put the nail in the coffin of a unitary left primary" and makes a common left‑wing candidacy impossible. Autain added she does not want to "add another candidacy" and described the proliferation of left candidates as "ridiculous, if not irresponsible".

She stressed that her priority remains the gathering of the left and ecological forces to present a viable alternative to the far‑right, and left open the possibility of supporting Jean‑Luc Mélenchon if he remains the leading left candidate. Other potential left‑unity candidates such as François Ruffin and Marine Tondelier have also taken note of the Socialist Party’s move.