French candidates make cost of living centrepiece of 2027 race
Voter pessimism and falling purchasing power are driving competing campaign pledges on housing, energy, wages and essential goods.
French presidential candidates are competing to claim the cost-of-living issue ahead of the April 2027 election, as voters report deepening concern over prices and purchasing power.
An Ipsos survey of 13,060 registered voters found that 91 per cent held negative sentiments about France’s current situation, while only 17 per cent felt hopeful. The proportion reporting worry had risen to 59 per cent, from 38 per cent in 2021.
The pressure is being felt across housing, food, fuel and energy costs. INSEE, France’s national statistics agency, expects household purchasing power to decline by 0.4 per cent in 2026, following a similar fall in 2025.
Marine Le Pen has presented the most explicitly nationalist response, pledging priority access to social housing and housing subsidies for French nationals. She has also proposed cutting VAT on gas, electricity and heating oil from 20 per cent to 5.5 per cent.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon has proposed capping prices for essential goods and profit margins, freezing rent increases and indexing wages to inflation. Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel has called for action to reduce gas prices.
Bruno Retailleau has made work the focus of his economic pitch, proposing to extend average daily working time by 30 minutes in exchange for the possibility of earning an additional one or two months’ salary each year. Le Pen remains the reported favourite, with support of 33 to 35 per cent among likely voters, but Ipsos says a populist shift is not inevitable.
