Seven leading candidates in the race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron have clashed in their first debate ahead of the 2027 election, exposing sharp differences over the economy, public debt and France's relationship with the European Union.
Thursday's debate, organised in Paris by France's largest employers' federation, the Mouvement des entreprises de France (Movement of the Enterprises of France, Medef), brought together seven leading candidates who have announced they will run in the election next April.
