Medef Debate Kicks Off 2027 Campaign and Widens Split Between Candidates

Overview

• The Medef held the first major presidential debate on Thursday, August 27, at Roland‑Garros, putting seven declared contenders before a live LCI audience on five business‑led economic themes.
• The discussion used questions drawn from a Medef consultation of 66,000 business leaders that focused on public debt and spending, reindustrialization, the cost of labour, norms and simplification, and taxation.
• Immediate fallout included the exit of François Durvye from Marine Le Pen’s campaign, announced during the debate, with critics citing a mismatch between his economic views and the RN platform.
• Polling presented during the restart of the campaign continues to show Marine Le Pen ahead while Jean‑Luc Mélenchon gains ground and centre and centre‑right figures such as Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal remain closely contested.
• Pressure for consolidation rose after more than 200 elected officials published a tribune calling for an open right/centre primary and Gabriel Attal publicly signalled openness to such a primary as candidates sharpen policy proposals like Philippe’s plan to cap unemployment benefits at 12 months for under‑50s.