France sets 2027 presidential election for 18 April and 2 May, right-wing attacks May Day overlap

The election calendar

The first round will take place on 18 April 2027, with the second round on 2 May, government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon announced after a cabinet meeting. The constitution requires that voting be held 20 to 35 days before the president’s mandate expires, which for Emmanuel Macron’s second term is 14 May 2027. That forced a choice between two windows: 11 and 25 April, or 18 April and 2 May.

The government opted for the later dates, arguing that fewer regions are on spring school holidays on 2 May and that it brings the runoff closer to the expected handover of power around 13–14 May. The decree will now be published in the Official Journal, and the Interior Ministry will set registration and endorsement deadlines. The final list of candidates must be published by 26 March 2027.

Political silence on Labour Day

The 2 May runoff falls the day after the 1 May Labour Day holiday, a traditional day of union marches that often carry political messages. Under France’s electoral code, the eve of a vote is a period of political silence: official propaganda, electoral meetings, leaflet distribution, and media interviews by candidates are all prohibited, and political camps are expected to refrain from further campaigning. Applying those rules to a day of nationwide street demonstrations has immediately raised practical and legal questions.

Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon insisted that “the rules of political silence, on the eve of the second round, will be the same as usual,” but union and political groups are already debating whether the marches can genuinely be kept apolitical.

Right-wing criticism

Les Républicains candidate Bruno Retailleau denounced the scheduling as a deliberate tilt towards the left. “This choice is not neutral and not normal on a democratic level,” he said on CNews and Europe 1. He accused the executive of pursuing a “strategy of chaos” and claimed the left believes a runoff after May Day will benefit it. “Let no one make me believe that in the marches, in the positions taken, there will be no political echo.”

This choice is not neutral and not normal on a democratic level.

The Rassemblement National also objects, as its traditional 1 May rally will be impossible under the silence rules. Sébastien Chenu (RN) said the party would not hold a meeting that day, but lamented the loss of a mobilisation opportunity. Within the right, not everyone backs Retailleau’s stance: LR deputy Hubert Bricout told RFI that the calendar “will change nothing – the French will already have made their choice by 1 May.”

Government justification and broader race

Presidential advisers point out that any disruption on the eve of the vote could actually help proponents of order rather than the left. “If there is damage on the eve of the vote, it can favour the proponents of order,” one Elysée advisor noted. The government also held a prior consultation with political parties at the Interior Ministry, but the criticism has continued.

The announcement marks a symbolic new phase in the pre-campaign. Since March’s municipal elections, Bruno Retailleau has been confirmed as the right’s candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon will run for hard-left La France Insoumise, and Gabriel Attal has declared for the centrist Renaissance party. Former prime minister Édouard Philippe is due to hold his first rally this weekend, while Marine Le Pen awaits a court ruling next week that could bar her from standing if she receives a sentence of more than two years’ ineligibility.