The forthcoming presidential election in France on April 18th of 2027, will see National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen face a smorgasbord of establishment and left-wing candidates. The Economist wonders, “Who can beat Ms Le Pen?”
One presidential hopeful donned an apron and served frites from a food truck. Another put on a harness and climbed to the top of a wind turbine. Yet another launched a “1,000 bistros” listening tour. Gimmicky showmanship means that presidential-election season is under way. At a two-round vote next April and May the French will elect a successor to Emmanuel Macron, who cannot stand for a third consecutive term. Polls consistently favour Marine Le Pen of the populist-right National Rally (RN), who launched her campaign on September 13th. With seven months to go, therefore, the presidential race has turned into a single question: who can beat Ms Le Pen?
Le Pen is laying out a platform that is pro-business and pro-growth. She has posted on X.com that she will:
- Exempt those under 30 from income tax
- Exempt businesses started by those under 30 from income tax
- Abolish the tax on real estate wealth
- Provide grants for trade school students to reindustrialize France
- Open lands owned by the government to private development
- Eliminate the DPE (France’s energy performance certificate rating for properties)
- Eliminate construction taxes: CFE, C3S, and CVAE
- Simplify construction regulations
There are many left-wing, socialist, and establishment candidates who will face Le Pen in the first round of France’s presidential election. Some of the better-known candidates include:
- Jean-Luc Mélenchon – La France Insoumise
- Édouard Philippe – Horizons
- Bruno Retailleau – Les Républicains
- Gabriel Attal – En Marche (aka Renaissance)
Le Pen will also face opposition from parties that have yet to hold primaries, including the Socialists and the United Left.
