Mélenchon’s platform: retirement at 60, higher wage, NATO exit

French left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon has unveiled his platform for the presidential election due in France in April, speaking at a rally in Le Bourget, a suburb of Paris. He promised to raise the minimum wage and bring the retirement age back to 60, France 24 reports.

“I have just one sensible proposal for you. It is, in essence, quite a moderate one: we need to change everything. We are preparing the ground for a radical political turn in France,” said Mélenchon, 75, in front of 20,000 supporters.

Chances of reaching the runoff

Mélenchon is seen as the strongest candidate on the left. Polls give him a good chance of reaching the second round alongside Marine Le Pen of the French right. But the same polls show that he would lose to Le Pen in the decisive round.

Mélenchon was blunt about his goal: the Élysée Palace and the replacement of the current president, Emmanuel Macron. He also lashed out at the protests and unrest of recent months, calling them the “last convulsions of the Macron era,” which he said is marked by “brutality, police violence and unpredictable outbursts of violence at the end of demonstrations.” According to him, the government is leading the country to a “grim end,” while the far right led by Le Pen “has no vision other than racism.”

What the platform promises

The platform is called “L'Avenir en commun” (“The Shared Future”) and is the fifth edition of the program of his party, La France Insoumise (LFI). The main points:

Pensions. Repeal of Macron’s reform, which has gradually raised the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. LFI promises to restore retirement at 60 for those who have paid into the system for 40 years.

Wages and taxes. An increase in the net minimum wage from roughly €1,480 (about 36,000 crowns) to €1,700 (about 41,000 crowns) a month, abolition of the flat tax on capital income, higher taxes for the wealthiest households and price caps on basic foods.

Energy. A gradual phase-out of nuclear power in favor of a system running solely on renewables: scrapping the EPR2 reactor program and refusing to extend the service life of nuclear plants older than 60 years.

Foreign policy. A gradual French withdrawal from NATO, starting with leaving the integrated military command. France already left it in 1966 under Charles de Gaulle and rejoined in 2009 under Nicolas Sarkozy. The platform also criticizes Germany’s influence on EU economic policy and describes Berlin as Europe’s chief champion of “ordoliberalism,” meaning strict budget rules, price stability and an independent monetary policy.

The document also calls for stronger protection of domestic industry, including support for bringing production back to France, and for a bigger role for the state in the economy.

Around Prague guide on the topic: Average salary in Czechia 2026: 51,966 Kč, Prague, minimum wage

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz