Édouard Philippe
Photo: Jacques Paquier, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- Oct 21
Ifop poll puts Le Pen far ahead after 17 October riots in France
Marine Le Pen would take 34% to 38% of the first-round vote and beat Jean-Luc Mélenchon 68% to 32% in a runoff, according to an Ifop poll published on Tuesday, 20 October. The survey followed protests against the high cost of living that turned into riots and looting across France.
- Oct 11
Macron's favorable rating drops to 15%, lowest since he took office in 2017
Only 15% of respondents in the latest Ipsos BVA-Cesi barometer view Emmanuel Macron favorably, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu rises two points to 22%. Energy costs, purchasing power and debt top voter concerns.
- Oct 10
Gabriel Attal launches youth pact in Lyon and targets Mélenchon ahead of 2027 election
At his first regional rally in Lyon on Saturday, the Renaissance candidate presented a youth and education pact to about 2,000 people. The meeting came as high-school protests continued and one day before Jean-Luc Mélenchon's own education-focused meeting in Clermont-Ferrand.
- Oct 8
Édouard Philippe proposes 350-euro family allowance and twenty ordinances if elected
On France 2's revived L'Heure de vérité on Thursday 8 October, the Horizons leader also set out a plan for two extra working hours a week and a reworked family support system, while describing how he would govern from the Élysée.
- Oct 3
Gabriel Attal proposes broad coalition from left to right for 2027 French presidential election
Former French prime minister Gabriel Attal called for a coalition extending from social democrats to the conservative right, floating an open primary to defeat Marine Le Pen in 2027.
- Oct 1
Gabriel Attal and rivals clash over Edouard Philippe's 65-year pension reform plan
Gabriel Attal and Raphaël Glucksmann rejected Édouard Philippe's proposal to lift France's legal retirement age to 65 with 45 contribution years, presenting competing platforms for the 2027 presidential race.
- Sep 28
Mediapart authenticates 2013 antisemitic messages attributed to Jordan Bardella as rivals demand resignation
Investigative outlet Mediapart published Meta data certified by a bailiff showing antisemitic messages sent by Rassemblement National president Jordan Bardella in 2013, prompting calls from French ministers and opposition leaders for his departure.
- Sep 26
Pope Leo XIV draws 700,000 faithful to Paris mass on Place de la Concorde
Pope Leo XIV celebrated the first open-air mass on the Place de la Concorde on Saturday, drawing an estimated 700,000 attendees before traveling to Lourdes.
- Sep 26
Pope Leo XIV draws 700,000 to Paris open-air Mass during four-day visit to France
Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass at Place de la Concorde following a youth vigil at Stade de France and meetings with state leaders and migrants.
- Sep 20
François Bayrou proposes centrist primary timetable ahead of 2027 French election
MoDem leader François Bayrou laid out rules for an online centrist primary to pick a single presidential candidate by February, urging rivals to unite to avoid a runoff between extremes.
- Sep 14
French polls show Marine Le Pen leading presidential race as Jean-Luc Mélenchon takes second
Polling from September 2026 places Marine Le Pen at 33% to 36% of first-round votes, with Jean-Luc Mélenchon advancing to the runoff in most scenarios as Emmanuel Macron's final term draws to a close.
- Sep 13
Céline Dion returns to the stage with 30,000-seat Paris concert after six-year hiatus
The 58-year-old Canadian singer performed a 27-song set at Nanterre's Plénitude Arena on Saturday, her first full live show since halting performances in 2020 due to Stiff Person Syndrome.
- Sep 5
French presidential contenders clash over economy and borders at Braderie de Lille
Gabriel Attal, Marine Tondelier, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon campaigned among 5,000 stands at the Braderie de Lille on Saturday, presenting competing visions on debt, purchasing power, and unity ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
- Aug 31
Marine Le Pen proposes referendum to ban and fine Islamic veil in French public spaces
National Rally lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy and party leader Marine Le Pen announced plans to fine women wearing headscarves in public spaces through a national referendum if elected in 2027, drawing widespread criticism from rivals.
- Aug 28
France to index minimum welfare benefits while weighing limits on pension growth in 2027 budget
Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou confirmed that RSA and Aspa benefits will track inflation in 2027, while urging retirees to accept shared fiscal restraint across the 400 billion euro pension system.
- Aug 27
Xavier Bertrand confirms 2027 French presidential bid as an independent candidate
Hauts-de-France regional president Xavier Bertrand confirmed his plans to contest the 2027 French presidential election during the Medef business conference, ruling out any participation in a centre-right primary.
- Aug 24
Raphael Glucksmann enters 2027 French presidential race through October social-democratic primary
The Place Publique MEP will compete in an October primary organized with the Socialist Party, promising a 15 billion euro wage plan funded by higher taxes on the top 1% while rejecting alliances with the radical left.
- Aug 24
Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Laurent Nuñez clash over the impartiality of French prefects
La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon demanded an impartial state at his party summer school, prompting Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to defend the constitutional neutrality of regional prefects.
- Aug 23
Mélenchon proposes ecological conscription and eco-regions at LFI summer school
Jean-Luc Mélenchon closed his party's summer gathering in Châteauneuf-sur-Isère with proposals to reorganize France into river-basin eco-regions and establish mandatory civil defense conscription.
- Jul 26
France marks decade since Father Hamel's murder at altar with call for peace and fraternity
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu leads a memorial mass and speeches in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, joined by François Hollande and other officials, as the town reaffirms a message of peace.
