Jean-Luc Mélenchon opened his presidential campaign on Sunday, proposing a "conscription écologique" and vowing to censor the government's 2027 budget in a speech before 10,000 supporters in Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, near Valence.
The La France Insoumise leader, who turned 75 on Wednesday, also promised to force large fortunes and multinationals to pay taxes, back a European-style superprofits levy, and ask the European Central Bank to freeze state debts from the pandemic era. He called for transforming administrative regions into "écorégions" based on river watersheds. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned lawmakers against delaying the 2027 budget for electoral reasons, calling it "the choice of disorder."
The speech kicks off a busy political rentrée across France, with party summer universities and rallies scheduled through September, including a Medef debate on Thursday featuring seven declared or prospective presidential candidates.