Primaires, une machine à perdre ?

A tv programme

Written by

Patrice Duhamel, Michèle Cotta

Directed by

Pauline Pallier

Produced by

Effervescence

Leading French distributor

LCP - Assemblée Nationale

Production year2026

Programme formatOne-off

GenresDocumentary

Runtime 52 min

Synopsis

Over the past two decades, primary elections have revolutionized French political life. Presented as a democratic advance intended to give a voice back to party activists and legitimize candidates, they have nonetheless produced a spectacular paradox: in 2017, their two winners, François Fillon and Benoît Hamon, were swept aside in the first round of the presidential election, paving the way for the emergence of Emmanuel Macron and the lasting collapse of the traditional parties. Through a gripping chronological narrative, drawing on the INA archives of major televised debates and exclusive testimonies from key players—frontrunners, underdogs, minor candidates, and pollsters—*Primaires, une machine à perdre?* recounts this modern political tragedy, in which each election serves as a barometer of internal divisions. From the debates of the first Socialist primary in 2006, broadcast on parliamentary channels, to the debacle of 2017, the film examines a system that mobilizes, divides, and exposes… but struggles to unite. As the 2027 presidential election looms amid a fragmented political landscape, this documentary poses a burning question: Are primaries an effective democratic tool, or have they become, in France, a factory for inevitable failures?