Mélenchon's Debt Plan Ignites French Presidential Election Debate

Radical-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has sparked debate in France by proposing to cancel part of the national debt held by the European Central Bank (ECB).

Mélenchon, who has long supported this idea, wants to put it back on the agenda and has admitted that his provocative statement was intended to draw attention.

Business leaders and politicians have attacked Mélenchon's proposal, with presidential contender Bruno Retailleau calling it a 'wild speech' and accusing him of wanting to bring France to bankruptcy.

Gabriel Attal, candidate for centrist party Renaissance, also criticized Mélenchon's statement, saying that if canceling the debt were that simple, it would have been done before.