PARIS: French presidential hopeful Jean-Luc Melenchon will pledge on Saturday to raise the minimum wage and restore France’s retirement age to 60 as he launches his 2027 election program.
The 75-year-old politician is considered the strongest left-wing contender, and recent polls have suggested he could reach the presidential runoff next April against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, though they also indicated he might lose in the second round.
His manifesto, titled “L’Avenir en commun” (“A Shared Future”), is the fifth edition of the platform of his party, France Unbowed (LFI), and largely reaffirms policies that have shaped his previous presidential bids.
Among its flagship pledges is the repeal of President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform, which gradually raised France’s minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 to shore up public finances.
The program would restore retirement at 60 for people who have contributed to the system for 40 years.
It also calls for increasing the net monthly minimum wage to €1,700 from around €1,480 and includes measures to abolish the flat tax on capital income, raise taxes on the wealthiest households and cap prices for essential foods.
The party also reiterated its support for a gradual phase-out of nuclear power in favor of a fully renewable electricity system, including scrapping the planned EPR2 reactor program and not extending the lifespan of nuclear plants beyond 60 years.
On foreign policy, the program reiterates Melenchon’s long-standing criticism of NATO and calls for France’s gradual withdrawal from the alliance, beginning with an exit from its integrated military command.
It also criticizes German influence on European Union economic policy, describing Berlin as Europe’s chief defender of “ordoliberalism,” an economic philosophy centered on strict budget rules, price stability and independent monetary policy.
The program calls for greater protection of domestic industry, including measures to encourage relocation of production to France, and advocates a more interventionist role for the state in the economy.
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