French presidential debate opens crowded 2027 race

Seven leading candidates in France's 2027 presidential race held their first debate on Thursday, setting out sharply different economic plans eight months before the election to succeed President Emmanuel Macron.

The candidates, ranging from the hard left to the far right, met at Paris's Roland Garros complex for a debate organised by employer federation MEDEF. They agreed that France faced economic trouble but differed over how to respond.

Marine Le Pen, making her fourth bid for the presidency, said her far-right National Rally party would present a 125 billion euro, or $146 billion, cost-cutting plan. She said there was a “general consensus on the seriousness of the situation”.

Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon urged business leaders to “raise wages” to prevent France from “falling into recession” and criticised what he called tax giveaways under Macron.

Centrist candidate Edouard Philippe, a former prime minister under Macron, accused Melenchon of seeking to “burn” France's debt and of taking steps that would “result in France being shut out of the banking system”.

Macron cannot run again after serving the maximum two consecutive terms. The race is crowded across the centre, left and right, with Philippe and former prime minister Gabriel Attal both campaigning from the centre.

A new Ifop-Fiducial poll this week projected that Melenchon could reach the second round against Le Pen, who is far ahead in first-round polling.

Raphael Glucksmann, a centre-left former commentator and member of the European Parliament, also took part in the debate. He plans to join an October primary with the Socialist Party. Referring to Attal and Philippe, Glucksmann said: “It is actually quite surprising to be lectured on debt by two of Emmanuel Macron's former prime ministers.”

Days after Macron agreed with the Saudi crown prince on a seven billion dollar deal for theme parks outside Paris, Glucksmann added: “I do not want the fate of my country to be a theme park for American tycoons, Russian oligarchs, Chinese Communist Party dignitaries, or Gulf emirs.”

Bruno Retailleau of the right-wing Republicans and Greens leader Marine Tondelier also took part.