What do the RN, NFP and Ensemble programs for young people provide?

Emmanuel Macron wanted to give the people a voice again. This is done: The first round of legislative elections recorded 66.7% participationa historic rate since 1997, according to the final results of the Ministry of the Interior. 48% of young voters (18-24 years old) placed the ballot of the New Popular Front (NFP) in the envelope, and 33% that of the National Rally (RN), according to an Ipsos Talan survey for France Télévisions, Radio France and Public Sénat, published on the evening of the first round. This study was conducted from June 27 to 28, 2024 among 10,286 people registered on the electoral lists, aged 18 and over, constituting a representative sample of the French population.

According to these estimates, Ensemble pour la République, the party of the presidential majority, only won 9% of the votes among these young people, and Les Républicains only 4%. A very low percentage for LR which can be explained by the confusion that reigns within the party, after the rallying of its president Eric Ciotti to the RNSince the European elections, no official programme has been published on the official LR website, preventing any comparison with the programmes of other political camps.

The radically opposed programs of the three blocs have only one thing in common: the desire to appeal to young people. During his campaign, RN president Jordan Bardella was particularly active on young people’s favorite social network, TikTok. He notably accompanied one of his posts with a musical cover of the very popular rapper Hatik. For its part, the NFP presented its program following the trend of Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, by whispering. A video that quickly went viral. But what do the programs really propose to win over the youth vote? Zoom in on the main measures of the parties that came out on top in the first round of the legislative elections.

According to the Ipsos survey, carried out in partnership with the Financial Times, 32% of respondents consider that questions related to purchasing powersocial protection and inequalities are their main concerns.

Purchasing power

Young households are particularly targeted by the RN’s measures. If Jordan Bardella’s party were to gain access to Matignon, it would propose a reduction in VAT on around a hundred basic necessities, including energy products. Marine Le Pen had already included in the far-right’s presidential programme in 2022 the reduction of the VAT rate from 20% to 5.5% on gas, electricity and fuels. A measure that would cost 10.3 billion euros per year, according to the Montaigne Institute. The party also wants to increase financial incentives for “young people and businesses choosing apprenticeships or work-study programs“. In 2022, Emmanuel Macron’s main opponent in the presidential elections announced that she wanted to increase the income of work-study students, via a “training check“This reform would help students enter working life.

The presidential majority camp also wants to reduce energy bills. Ensemble pour la République aims to reduce electricity bills by 15% starting next winter, the equivalent of an average of 200 euros per person. For young people who are still students, the program also provides for group purchases of school supplies in order to obtain up to a 15% reduction in prices, the maintenance of Crous meals at 1 euro for scholarship holders and the increase in scholarships by 37 euros per month.

The New Popular Front is banking on an increase in the minimum wage, which concerns many young workers at the start of their careers, to 1,600 euros net. A price freeze for basic necessities and energy is also one of the party’s priorities, which it wants to do by decree in the first 15 days of the mandate. For students, the party is also planning an increase in interns’ allowances as well as the salaries of apprentices and work-study students. The NFP also wants to make the Crous 1-euro meal accessible to everyone.

Taxes

The parts of Jordan Bardella, who came out on top in these early elections on June 30, promises advantageous tax measures for those under 30. The RN proposes the elimination of “income tax for young people under 30 in order to encourage their long-term settlement in France, both professionally and with their family“. A proposal whose taxation was attacked by Gabriel AttalThe same goes for entrepreneurs under 30. The far-right party wants to exempt companies created by a young person under 30 from corporate tax for five years.

At Ensemble pour la République, the main measure that affects young people concerns inheritance. The party proposes a “golden rule against tax increases for the French“, which provides that no tax will be applied to inheritances and donations up to 150,000 euros per child, including for blended families, nor up to 100,000 euros passed on to grandchildren. In addition, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced the creation of a public mutual insurance offer at euro per day, which could reassure the most precarious young people.

On the side of the New Popular Front, the goal is “to increase the progressivity of income tax to 14 brackets” compared to 5 currently, as proposed by Jean-Luc Mélenchon during the last presidential elections. Young people at the start of their careers, who generally earn lower salaries, will thus be taxed less: those who earn less than 10,064 euros per year will not be taxable, and those who earn less than 27,794 will only pay 14% in taxes. Among other measures, it is planned that overtime will be subject to contributions.

Accommodation

In 2022, Marine Le Pen proposed the construction of 100,000 new student housing units spread over five years. However, in 2024, such a measure no longer appears on Jordan Bardella’s official program. The party also plans a zero-interest loan to facilitate access to property, which would be “transformed into a grant for couples who have a 3rd child“However, neither the size of the grant nor the age limit for those interested have been communicated.

To make it easier for young people to access property, “middle and working classes” will be exempt from notary fees for the purchase of a first home up to 250,000 euros, promises Ensemble. The measure could appear in the 2025 budget.

The NFP is in favour of mandatory rent control in high-demand areas. The NFP proposes a universal rent guarantee, designed to reduce the risk of non-payment that could affect the most precarious tenants and owners of housing. In the event of a dispute, eviction without a rehousing offer will be prohibited. A 10% increase in housing benefits is also planned, as well as a zero-rate loan for all first-time buyers, whether in new or old properties.