France brings forward minimum wage rise as judo star enters 2027 race

· Politics · France

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Monday he was bringing forward a planned minimum-wage increase to December from January, a 1.6% rise, to defuse a cost-of-living crisis that has sparked some of France's worst civil unrest in years. Unions dismissed the offer as "crumbs". The same day, five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner, one of France's best-known sports figures, announced he would run in the 2027 presidential election, saying he was neither leftwing nor rightwing and was concerned about the rise of the far right. President Emmanuel Macron welcomed his candidacy. France's seventh-largest economy is nonetheless gripped by an affordability debate ahead of elections.

Why it matters：France's affordability protests and a celebrity outsider candidacy signal a volatile presidential race that will shape Europe's political balance.

Key points

  • Lecornu moved the 1.6% increase to December from January.
  • Riner, 37, is a five-time Olympic gold medallist.
  • Unions called the wage measure insufficient.

Sources (original reporting)

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