Former French PM Philippe in favour of early presidential election

Edouard Philippe, Mayor of Le Havre and leader of French political party Horizons (HOR), talks to journalists as he leaves after a meeting with the French Prime Minister as part of a series of consultations with political parties, a week before a confidence vote he is seeking from the National Assembly on the budget issue, at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, September 2, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

PARIS (Reuters) -Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday that he was in favour of an early presidential election, due to the current political crisis engulfing the country.

Philippe, once a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, said he favoured new presidential elections in an interview with radio station RTL, following the Monday resignation of outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, whose government was rejected by both allies and opponents.

Philippe's comments were echoed by Jordan Bardella, the leader of the far-right party National Rally, who said in a separate interview on BFM TV that he supported first a dissolution of the parliament, followed by parliamentary elections or early presidential elections.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, Bertrand Boucey and Nicolas Delame;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)