Gabriel Attal launches presidential campaign with Paris meeting

Gabriel Attal, former French prime minister and candidate of the Renaissance party, held his first large‑scale campaign rally on 30 May at the Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles in Paris. Around 5 000 supporters gathered in a climate‑controlled hall where Attal presented his slogan “la force d’agir” and pledged to make France “the first power of Europe in ten years”. He outlined four priority “chantiers”: education, wages, borders and artificial intelligence, and vowed to cut greenhouse‑gas emissions by half in a decade. Attal named La France Insoumise and the Rassemblement National as his main opponents, calling them “marchands de haine” and “apôtres du déclin”.

Jean‑Luc Mélenchon quickly rebuked the remarks on social media, describing them as “indignes” and warning that a campaign should not descend into “mud‑slinging”. A poll released the day before the rally showed Attal trailing fellow centre‑right candidate Édouard Philippe, with 9 % versus Philippe’s 13 % in a head‑to‑head scenario. The rivalry between Attal and Philippe, both former prime ministers, has intensified, with each side accusing the other of aggression while attempting to avoid a split of the centre‑right vote. Supporters at the rally praised Attal’s youthful energy and similarity to President Macron, seeing him as both a continuation and a rejuvenation of the current administration’s policies.