French Politicswith Dr. Amine Zidouh
    France’s Presidential Elections
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    France's Presidential Elections / Past candidates

    Not running in 2027

    This page is a reference for readers who meet François Fillon in the story of earlier elections. It is not a 2027 candidate profile.

    Portrait of François Fillon

    François Fillon

    Former Prime Minister

    Les Républicains logo

    Les Républicains

    He is not among the declared or potential contenders tracked for 2027. His 2017 campaign was overshadowed by the Penelope Fillon affair, and he was later convicted in that case.

    2017 and 2022

    François Fillon in 2017 and 2022

    2017

    20.01%first round

    Ran as Les Républicains

    Share of votes cast. Source: Constitutional Council 2017, 2022. The tick marks 5%.

    Background

    Who François is

    François Fillon served as prime minister under Nicolas Sarkozy from 2007 to 2012. He won the right's primary in November 2016 and began the 2017 campaign as the favourite, before the affair surrounding his wife's parliamentary employment changed the race.

    He finished third in the first round and missed the runoff by about 1.3 points. The party he represented was then called Les Républicains, after the 2015 renaming of the UMP.

    The 2027 link

    Les Républicains is represented in 2027 by Bruno Retailleau.

    Read the Bruno Retailleau profile

    Same family, different names

    RPR to UMP to Les Républicains

    The mainstream right merged, then rebranded to leave a leader and a period behind. Renaming is common in French politics: parties often change name, logo and structure while staying the same political family.

    1. 1976 / Rassemblement pour la République. The Gaullist party founded by Jacques Chirac.
    2. 2002 / Union pour un mouvement populaire. Created to unite Gaullists, centrists and liberals behind one presidential majority.
    3. 2015 / Les Républicains. Renamed in May 2015 under Nicolas Sarkozy. Fillon (2017) and Pécresse (2022) ran under this name.

    Explore the interactive guide to French party rebranding

    Sources: Constitutional Council, 2017 results; 2022 results. Page prepared from public records and updated as the 2027 field is confirmed.

    Image credits & sources

    Photo: François Fillon 2010.jpg. Marie-Lan Nguyen. Via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 3.0. Original source. Downscaled copy of the Commons file.

    Teaching and learning

    Intended audience: Undergraduate students in French studies, history, political science and related fields; independent adult learners.

    Suggested uses: Guided reading, seminar discussion, comparative political analysis and media-literacy activities.

    After using this resource, learners should be able to:

    • Explain the electoral and institutional context of the election examined.
    • Compare candidates or political positions using the sources available in this resource.
    • Distinguish official results, polling scenarios and critical interpretation.

    Use the objectives that correspond to the material available on this page. Collection pages provide entry points to individual resources; unfinished or unavailable material is not a completed learning activity.

    Original materials © Dr. Amine Zidouh / French Politics, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 unless otherwise indicated. When sharing or reproducing covered material, credit Dr. Amine Zidouh and French Politics, link to the source and license, and identify changes. Images, protest signs, artworks and other third-party materials are excluded. See Rights, Credits & Educational Reuse for scope, attribution and the as-is disclaimer.