French political families

From the far left to the far right, French political life is divided into major families with distinct traditions. This overview describes each of them through its history, its main parties and the themes it claims.

A useful but imperfect classification

Classifying parties into families helps to make sense of the political landscape. But the boundaries are debated. Some parties dispute the label applied to them. The Ministry of the Interior publishes a grid of “political nuances” to present election results. In March 2024, the Conseil d'État upheld the classification of the Rassemblement national under the “far right” nuance, a classification that the party disputes.

The far left

It brings together organisations claiming to follow revolutionary Marxism, often Trotskyism. They advocate the end of capitalism and the takeover of the economy by workers. The main ones are Lutte ouvrière and the Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste, founded in 2009, which split into two organisations in 2022-2023. Their candidates regularly run in the presidential election.

The left

It claims equality, social justice and the defence of public services. It is now diverse:

• La France insoumise, founded in 2016 around Jean-Luc Mélenchon, notably advocates a Sixth Republic and a break with liberal policies. Its opponents sometimes place it on the far left, which it rejects.
• Le Parti socialiste, refounded in 1969 and then at the Épinay Congress in 1971, held power under François Mitterrand and François Hollande.
• Le Parti communiste français, born in 1920 at the Tours Congress.
• Place publique, founded in 2018, and other groups such as Génération.s.

These parties formed an alliance in 2022 known as the Nupes and in 2024 known as the Nouveau Front populaire.

The ecologists

Political ecology emerged in the 1970s. René Dumont was the first ecologist candidate in a presidential election, in 1974. The main party, Les Écologistes, took this name in 2023 after being known as Europe Écologie Les Verts. It places the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity at the centre of its programme. It most often sits within left-wing alliances.

The centre

The centre claims the Christian democratic, liberal and European tradition. Historically it has stood between the left and the right, and under the Fifth Republic it has most often allied with the right. Since 2017, it includes:

• Renaissance, originating from En Marche, created in 2016 by Emmanuel Macron;
• le MoDem, founded in 2007 by François Bayrou;
• Horizons, founded in 2021 by Édouard Philippe;
• l'UDI, founded in 2012.

The right

The governing right belongs to the Gaullist and liberal tradition. It advocates order, the authority of the state, economic freedom and the control of public spending. Its main party, Les Républicains, took this name in 2015, succeeding the UMP founded in 2002. It has held the presidency with Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, elected in 1974, came from the liberal and centrist right.

The far right

This family brings together parties that place the nation, identity and reducing immigration at the heart of their programmes. The main one is the Rassemblement national, founded in 1972 as the Front national and renamed in 2018. It rejects the far-right label and presents itself as a patriotic party. There is also Reconquête, founded in 2021 by Éric Zemmour. The Union des droites pour la République, created in 2024 by Éric Ciotti, is allied with the RN.

The sovereigntists

Sovereigntism is not a single family. It refers to the defence of national sovereignty, particularly against the European Union. It is found on both the right and the left. Several parties make it their main theme, such as Debout la France, led by Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Les Patriotes, led by Florian Philippot, or the Union populaire républicaine, led by François Asselineau, which proposes leaving the European Union.

Shifting boundaries

Alliances change from one election to the next. As 2027 approaches, each family is debating its candidacies, possible primaries and rapprochements. Labels describe traditions. They do not replace reading the programmes.