France’s biggest union targets Le Pen ahead of 2027 election

Sophie Binet, head of France’s largest trade union, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), has described the National Rally as a threat to the working class and said the union would seek to prevent its candidate, Marine Le Pen, from winning the 2027 presidential election.

“Today, our task is to do everything possible to prevent the National Rally from winning. We managed to prevent their victory in 2024, and we will be able to do it again,” Binet said in an interview with Le Monde.

Binet also criticised candidates who took part in a debate hosted by the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF) on Friday, arguing that they had focused on proposals put forward by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of the left-wing opposition party France Unbowed, rather than attacking Le Pen, whom she said had remained calm during the debate.

Binet described the National Rally as a “far-right” party and said: “There is no worse enemy for workers than the far right.”

She also accused some business leaders of helping right-wing forces gain political ground. Binet said MEDEF President Patrick Martin’s refusal to classify Le Pen as far-right showed that “he is interested only in money.”

By Tamilla Hasanova