Seven of the leading candidates in the race to succeed Emmanuel Macron clashed on Thursday in their first debate, eight months ahead of the election. The event was held at Paris's Roland Garros complex, more accustomed to clashes between tennis stars than politicians, and was organized by MEDEF, France's employer federation.
Taking part were Gabriel Attal, a centrist and former prime minister, Edouard Philippe, a center right figure and also a former head of government, Marine Le Pen of the far right National Rally, Jean Luc Melenchon of the hard left France Unbowed, Raphael Glucksmann, a center left member of the European Parliament, Bruno Retailleau, a conservative figure, and Marine Tondelier, national secretary of the Greens.
While all seven agreed that France was facing serious economic trouble, they differed sharply on how to fix it. The economy, public debt, and pension reform dominated heated exchanges throughout the evening.
Marine Le Pen defended a 125 billion euro cost cutting plan put forward by the National Rally. Jean Luc Melenchon, for his part, called on business leaders to raise wages, warning that France otherwise risked sliding into recession.
The employer federation's first big debate marks the opening of what is shaping up to be a fiercely contested presidential campaign, in a political landscape fragmented across the left, center, and right.