French Presidential Hopefuls Clash Over Economy and Pensions in Heated Debate

Seven French presidential candidates from across the political spectrum clashed in a debate hosted by the MEDEF, the country's largest employer federation, on Thursday. The economy, pensions, and public debt dominated the discussion at Roland-Garros, less than eight months ahead of the presidential election.

Candidates included two former prime ministers of Emmanuel Macron, centrist Gabriel Attal and centre-right figure Edouard Philippe, as well as divisive figures like hard-left leader Jean Luc Mélenchon and far-right politician Marine Le Pen. Centre-left MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, conservative Bruno Retailleau, and Green party leader Marine Tondelier also participated.

Mélenchon boldly stated that he planned to 'disobey anything coming from Europe that conflicts with the interests of the French people.' He proposed amending the EU treaty to address this issue. Meanwhile, Le Pen pledged to reduce France's current contribution to the European Union by €5 billion and eliminate thousands of European norms.

The candidates disagreed on how to tackle France's debt. Philippe described Mélenchon's proposal to cancel a large chunk of public debt as 'dangerous.' Attal questioned the logic behind cancelling debt while raising taxes. Le Pen promised a €125 billion cost-cutting plan to address the issue.

The ongoing pension debate was also a point of contention. Tondelier opposed Macron's plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old, while Mélenchon defended retirement at 60. Le Pen backed reverting the retirement age to 62 for the majority of the French population.