Former French prime minister Michel Barnier announced on Tuesday, July 15, that he would run for Parliament in an upcoming special election in Paris. The outgoing centrist MP, Jean Laussucq, was removed from office by the Constitutional Council on Friday.
"At this very serious moment for our country (...), I have decided to put forward my candidacy in the special election for Paris's second constituency," Barnier wrote on X, emphasizing that his candidacy would be "part of an effort to unite the right and the center." Paris's second constituency runs along the left bank of the Seine, stretching from the Luxembourg Gardens to the Eiffel Tower.
Barnier, a member of the conservative Les Républicains, served as prime minister from September to December 2024. He was replaced by François Bayrou after losing a vote of no confidence over the 2025 budget. LR President Bruno Retailleau hailed Barnier's candidacy, describing it as "a triple opportunity: for Paris, for LR, and for France."
The Constitutional Council on Friday annulled Lassucq's 2024 election for having paid "campaign expenses using his personal bank account" and for allowing third parties to "directly pay a significant portion of the expenses incurred for his election campaign." The Council removed him from office and banned him from running for elections for one year.
Barnier's candidacy could allow LR to take another seat from Macron's Renaissance party. Since LR joined the government coalition, it has won two special elections, also clinching one seat previously held by the far-right Rassemblement National.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.