Mélenchon wants higher minimum wages and a new republic

Jean-Luc Mélenchon wants to rebuild France with a higher minimum wage, a wealth tax and a new constitution. On Saturday, 7 November 2026, the presidential candidate of the radical-left movement La France insoumise presented his programme in Le Bourget near Paris. The revised edition of “L'Avenir en commun” had appeared the day before. It combines redistribution with the aim of leaving political decisions more to the citizens.

Mélenchon's talk of a fundamental break is not just a matter of wording. The programme intervenes at the same time in property relations, state institutions and France's relationship with the European Union. Whether he can push these plans through will not be decided at an election campaign appearance, however. These are proposals for the 2027 presidential election, not laws already passed.

Higher wages, sharper wealth taxation

Mélenchon wants to raise the monthly minimum wage immediately to 1,700 euros net. For food, energy and fuel the programme provides for price caps. Wages are to be indexed to inflation. The candidate is thus addressing employees whose income cannot keep pace with the cost of living.

On the revenue side there is a more progressive income tax with 14 brackets. A reintroduced and tightened wealth tax is to be supplemented by a climate component. In addition comes the so-called Zucman tax: a minimum levy of two percent of wealth for people with at least 100 million euros in assets. This is a proposal to tax the stock of wealth, not merely ongoing income.

Inheritance taxation would change as well. Mélenchon proposes a ceiling of twelve million euros for inheritances; gifts are to be added up over a person's lifetime. He wants to redistribute the burden on small and large companies through a progressive corporate tax rate. Profits are to be treated differently depending on whether they are reinvested or distributed.

For the new programme as a whole, according to the Euronews report, no complete financial calculation was available at the presentation. Individual tax proposals therefore do not yet answer whether additional revenues would cover the promised spending. Euronews reports that supplementary detailed documents are to follow. Such a calculation would have to bring together spending, revenues and their timing; simply adding up announced tax receipts is not enough.

A new constitution and citizens' referendums

With a constituent assembly, Mélenchon wants to initiate the transition to a Sixth Republic. A referendum is then to decide on the draft. The strongly presidential order is to be replaced by a parliamentary system with extended civil rights.