French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance would lower power bills, soften inheritance tax and link pensions to inflation if it wins a snap election, the prime minister said, seeking to counter the far right and a new left-wing bloc.
The ruling Together alliance is the underdog in the parliamentary vote, which Macron called after suffering a drubbing at the hands of the far-right National Rally (RN) in this month's European elections.
The snap legislative election will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7. Macron's camp casts itself as a bulwark of democratic values and prudent economic management protecting the nation from profligate extremists on both flanks.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the policies advocated by both the RN and a rebranded coalition of left-wing parties known as the Popular Front would lead to mass unemployment.
"Let's not take a leap into the unknown, from a great height without a parachute," he said at a news conference.
The RN and the Popular Front, setting out their own stalls at an event run by the Medef, an employers' organisation, both presented themselves as responsible economic managers, seeking to rebut the attacks from the Macron camp.
"I think that overall our budget deficit won't be worse than what the current government foresees," said Eric Coquerel of the hard-left France Unbowed party, appearing on behalf of the Popular Front.
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