Attal and Philippe urge broad coalition at Dijon radical party congress

At the Parti radical’s 126th congress in Dijon, Gabriel Attal and Édouard Philippe each appealed for a broad political rally, yet stopped short of presenting a detailed roadmap. Attal, addressing about 200 attendees, advocated for the widest possible coalition, from social-democrats to the republican right, and pointed to a liaison committee formed in March that brings together representatives of central-block parties, though it excludes the presidential hopefuls.

Philippe, speaking afterward, affirmed that such a rally will be essential in the months ahead but warned against a mechanical aggregation of party structures, emphasizing common ground on European integration, a regulated market economy, state authority, secularism and the universalist spirit of the Republic. He reiterated his opposition to a formal primary, arguing it would highlight differences rather than unity. The two leaders, who had not spoken since attending the pope’s mass in Paris two weeks earlier, exchanged a brief handshake on stage. Polls currently place Philippe ahead within the central bloc.