World
Édouard Philippe called for banning judges from unionizing and again ruled out a primary
The Horizons candidate for France’s 2027 presidential race outlined proposals on justice, education and the civil service. He also renewed his refusal to take part in a right-and-center primary.
Édouard Philippe, Horizons’ candidate for France’s 2027 presidential election, said in an interview with France Info that judges should not be allowed to join unions. He argued that such a ban would help guarantee judicial impartiality and restore public confidence in the courts.
He also said magistrates should be recruited through channels other than the National School for the Judiciary and called for a broader mix of professional backgrounds within the bench.
Philippe said the French justice system suffers from a lack of resources and persistent delays. He pointed to shortages of prosecutors, judges and court clerks, and argued that the system requires a far-reaching overhaul. He also backed a broader simplification of the law, especially the penal code.
On criminal justice, he said France is not building enough prison capacity and argued that incarceration comes too late and lasts too long. In that context, he supported abolishing the judge responsible for sentence enforcement, a stance that France Info said is also shared by Gabriel Attal, Éric Zemmour and Bruno Retailleau. He also endorsed mandatory minimum sentences and called for penalties to be handed down and carried out quickly.
On education, Philippe said the Parcoursup higher-education admissions platform can be improved and stressed the need for better student guidance. He argued that students should receive more information about careers and training paths before being steered toward a track, and said that effort should not fall solely on the education system.
He also advocated greater autonomy for schools, both in pedagogy and in adapting to local priorities and circumstances. On school timetables, he said concentrating too many teaching hours into too few days and too few weeks a year creates a rhythm that is not best for students.
Regarding public services, he proposed cutting 250,000 civil service positions over five years. As reported by France Info, he said 750,000 public employees will retire in that period and proposed not replacing one out of every three. He also rejected the idea that better public services depend on a steady increase in the number of state employees.
In a separate interview cited by the same outlet, Philippe also repeated that he will not take part in a primary and will instead present his candidacy directly to voters. He said he wants to unite the right and the center without shifting his stance according to temporary alliances.
France Info added that Bruno Retailleau backed holding a right-and-center primary even without Philippe and suggested January 31 and February 7 as possible dates. It also reported that Gabriel Attal said Philippe would have a seat at any meetings devoted to organizing such a contest.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
