'No business being in NATO': Presidential hopeful Melenchon pitches radical new course for France

French presidential hopeful Jean-Luc Melenchon on Saturday pledged an economic stimulus programme, including price controls, higher minimum wages and increased taxes on the wealthy, while renewing his call for France to withdraw from NATO. The 75-year-old leader of the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party unveiled his 2027 presidential programme at a rally in Le Bourget, near Paris, outlining plans to reverse President Emmanuel Macron's economic policies. "We are going to do exactly the opposite — that is to say, a policy of stimulus," Melenchon told supporters at the rally, which drew around 17,000 people, according to his campaign director Manuel Bompard. He said the proposed stimulus would focus on boosting consumer spending and directing existing savings towards social and environmental needs. "We have no business being in NATO, nor in American wars," Melenchon said, reiterating his opposition to France's membership of the military alliance. His programme calls for a gradual withdrawal, beginning with an exit from NATO's integrated military command. He also proposed building "a global front of non-aligned countries".

Economic and welfare promises

Melenchon's programme, titled "L'Avenir en commun" (A Shared Future), promises measures to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. These include freezing prices, raising the minimum wage and linking wages to inflation. The party wants to increase the net monthly minimum wage to 1,700 euros from around 1,480 euros. It has also proposed capping prices of essential food items, scrapping the flat tax on capital income and increasing taxes on the wealthiest households. The manifesto also promises to reverse Macron's pension reform, which gradually increased the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 to strengthen public finances. Melenchon wants to restore retirement at 60 for people who have contributed to the pension system for 40 years.

Nuclear energy and EU policy

On energy, LFI has reiterated its support for gradually phasing out nuclear power and moving towards an electricity system powered entirely by renewable sources. The programme proposes scrapping the planned EPR2 nuclear reactor programme and ruling out extensions to the operating lives of nuclear plants beyond 60 years. It also criticises Germany's influence over European Union economic policy. The manifesto describes Berlin as the bloc's leading defender of "ordoliberalism", an economic philosophy that emphasises strict budget rules, price stability and independent monetary policy.

Melenchon's electoral prospects

Melenchon is seen as the strongest contender on the French left ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Recent opinion polls suggest he could reach the second round in April next year against far-right leader Marine Le Pen. However, the same polls indicate that he could lose to Le Pen in the runoff. The latest manifesto is the fifth edition of LFI's programme. It largely retains policies that have formed the basis of Melenchon's previous presidential campaigns.