Left-Wing Leaders and Unions Demand Leftist and Ecological Government Amid October 2025 French Political Crisis
Amid France's October 2025 political crisis, left-wing leaders and unions press Macron to appoint a leftist and ecological government, while calls to revisit pension reforms intensify.
- • Olivier Faure, Marine Tondelier, and Fabien Roussel jointly call for a leftist and ecological government.
- • Sophie Binet urges continued social movements against Macron's policies.
- • Marylise Léon advocates reviving the points-based pension system debate.
- • Macron faces a deadline to appoint a new Prime Minister before the 2026 budget presentation.
Key details
Amidst the ongoing political turmoil in France in October 2025, key left-wing figures and union leaders have intensified calls for the appointment of a leftist and ecological government. Olivier Faure, Marine Tondelier, and Fabien Roussel jointly urged President Emmanuel Macron to name a Prime Minister and government that reflects these priorities and can secure a majority in the National Assembly. Their statement reflects growing dissatisfaction with the current centrist government's direction and a desire for a shift to the left to address France's pressing ecological and social challenges.
Sophie Binet, General Secretary of the CGT, reinforced this position by calling for continued social mobilization against President Macron's policies, cautioning that maintaining the status quo risks institutional chaos. Meanwhile, David Lisnard, mayor of Cannes, expressed disillusionment with his own party, Les Républicains, and has not ruled out leaving due to frustration with its leadership amid the crisis.
On the government front, outgoing Economy Minister Roland Lescure committed to delivering a budget for 2026 to ensure parliamentary stability, while Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau expressed gratitude to prefects but hinted at his impending government exit. Rumors of Jean-Louis Borloo as the next Prime Minister were denied by Borloo himself. Macron faces a constitutional deadline to appoint a new Prime Minister before presenting the 2026 budget, adding to the urgency.
In the realm of pension reform, Marylise Léon, Secretary General of the CFDT union, advocated restarting debates on the points-based pension system should the current reform be suspended. Léon criticized the existing age-based retirement system as deeply unjust, highlighting that the points-based model — initiated in 2019 but paused in 2020 — allows individuals to choose their retirement age and pension level, a proposal the CFDT aims to revisit before the 2027 presidential elections.
The political crisis is underscored by Éric Dupond-Moretti's suggestion that France’s governance might need a leftward shift, while former Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne proposed freezing the retirement age until 2027 to manage the pension debate. These developments illustrate the profound challenges facing Macron's government and the growing influence of leftist and ecological forces in shaping France's political future.