Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin has launched his own political party Humanist France, two years before the country's presidential election is set to take place. The centre-right veteran politician is reknowned for his anti-war stance.
De Villepin, 71, was prime minister of France under ex-president Jacques Chirac between 2005 and 2007 and also the late leader's foreign minister between 2002 and 2004.
The conservative politician made his mark on the global stage as Chirac's head of diplomacy, delivering an impassioned speech at a UN Security Council meeting in 2003 in which he set out France’s opposition to a US-led Iraq war and warned of the “incalculable consequences” of military action in the region.
While he left politics more than a decade ago, he has continued his anti-war stance, making a number of recent media appearances criticising Israel’s war in Gaza and its scandalous "spiral of violence".
In an interview with Le Parisien published Tuesday he said: "I decided to create a movement of ideas, of citizens, through the creation of a political party.
"This movement is for everyone. We need to unite all French people to defend social justice and the republican order," he said, adding that Humanist France already had "several dozen local branches".
When Chirac opposed war in Iraq
De Villepin – who was also minister of the interior under Chirac – did not explicitly say he would stand for president, saying "now is not the time to enter into the presidential debate". But the new party is likely to be seen as a platform for such a bid.
"I am not for escalation... but for a politics of balance and measure," he said.
"Against a path of tension and identity polarisation, I offer one of assembly, public interest and humanism."
French people deserve to have the choice, he said, and not be caught "between the radicalism of LFI and that of the RN" – referring to the hard-left France Unbowed and far-right National Rally respectively.
Against US strikes
In an interview with France Inter radio on Tuesday, de Villepin outlined his positions on a number of major current affairs issues, including US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. "These strikes should not have been carried out insofar as diplomacy must enable progress to be made," he said. "The path of war leads to many more tragedies."
He also announced that he would propose repealing the 2023 pension reform that raised the legal age of retirement from 62 to 64, saying it had "broken the spirit of reform in this country".
Government-brokered talks between unions and employers aimed at reaching a compromise over the unpopular reform collapsed without agreement on Monday.
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The contours of the French 2027 presidential election remain largely unclear, with centre-right former prime minister Edouard Philippe the only major player to clearly state he will stand and President Emmanuel Macron barred from seeking another mandate.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is eager to stand for fourth time but her conviction earlier this year in a fake jobs scandal disqualifies her from running for public office.
She has appealed, and waiting in the wings is her protege Jordan Bardella, 29, who would stand if Le Pen was ineligible.
Does 'politically dead' Marine Le Pen still have a path to power?
Opinion polls suggest de Villepin and Philippe are currently France's most popular politicians.
(with newswires)
