Background: A severe June heatwave in France has already overwhelmed hospitals, forced event cancellations, and caused drownings and a child's death. New development: France has recorded 301 drownings since 19 June, a 14% increase compared to 2025, according to Sports Minister Marina Ferrari. Many accidents occurred in unsupervised areas like canals and open water, with elderly people also affected in private pools. The heatwaves have also caused wildfires and forced a nuclear power plant shutdown, with France logging 7,300 excess deaths between late May and 22 July.

Raphaël Glucksmann, leader of Place Publique, announced his candidacy for the 2027 French presidential election on TF1, and will participate in the left-wing primary organized with the Socialist Party in October. Socialist Party deputy Arthur Delaporte welcomed the announcement, saying it reduces the number of left-wing candidates and hopes the primary will foster debate and unite socialists, ecologists, communists, and disaffected LFI voters.

Background: French PM Sébastien Lecornu is pushing a reform-oriented 2027 budget with structural reforms and fiscal stability, facing opposition threats. Today: On August 23, at the party's summer university near Valence, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise, vowed that LFI will censure the Lecornu government over its 2027 budget, which he claims will worsen France's economic situation and push it into recession. He proposed alternative economic measures including taxing large fortunes and multinationals, instituting a superprofits tax, increasing wages, eliminating predatory tax niches, and freezing state debts at the European Central Bank. He also criticized Lecornu's warning against delaying budget adoption until after the presidential election, calling it a lesson from those who caused the disaster.

During the closing speech of La France Insoumise's summer university near Valence, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, candidate for the 2027 French presidential election, accused prefects of bias against LFI deputies, demanding they 'return to their offices' and stop legal proceedings. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez responded on X, defending prefects' neutrality and stating they need no lessons in impartiality. This exchange marks an early clash in the presidential campaign, highlighting tensions between the left-wing party and state representatives.

Former French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire published a 60-page manifesto on August 22, titled 'un manifeste pour une autre France', ahead of the 2027 presidential election, in which he does not exclude participating. The manifesto outlines three priorities: authority, prosperity, and sovereignty. On authority, he proposes restricting state action to security, protection, education, and health, delegating everything else. On prosperity, he argues against the idea of working less and earning more, blaming 1981 pension choices for France's rising debt. On sovereignty, he reiterates the call for a federation of six nations (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Netherlands) to give Europe political weight in the EU. This follows his earlier proposal for such a federation with a constitution and new capital.

Background: French presidential candidate Édouard Philippe has proposed a total immigration freeze in Mayotte and a return center in East Africa. During his campaign visit to Mayotte, Philippe engaged in public activities to soften his austere image, including traditional dancing and attending a local football match, and made informal remarks to a child about the upcoming school year. He reiterated his plan to unite the right and center, from Bruno Retailleau to Gabriel Attal, with a timeline of between November and February. His tour continues to La Réunion for 48 hours starting August 23.