Macron could run for third term in 2032, top ally says – POLITICO

People who think French President Emmanuel Macron’s current term will be his last should think again.

The French constitution bars him from running for a third consecutive term in 2027, but Macron could run for a third term in 2032, top ally Francois Bayrou suggested in an interview with POLITICO’s Playbook Paris.

Bayrou, president of the Democratic Movement, Macron’s key partner in the ruling coalition, said that « [Macron’s] his role in French politics will not end with his second term.

The centrist leader then hinted at a third presidential election, using the French word « second » (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 professor and education minister.

“Money doesn’t interest him, nor do pompous job titles in international organizations,” he says. « Inevitably, he will be a reference in French political life, not for the past, but for the future. »

Macron’s second stint at the Elysee Palace ends in 2027, but he will have to wait until 2032 for a third term, as the French constitution prohibits presidents from standing 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, would be vying for the job in 2027.

He has « always been ready », he said last week, although he added that it was « foolish » to already be discussing what would happen more than four years from now. « Obviously, as a citizen, I’m interested in the – distant – prospect of an election, » he told Playbook.