France Is Preparing for Its Own Messy Election

Twenty-one years ago, French Prime Minister Alain Juppé tried to curb retirement benefits for public employees. In response, labor unions staged a general strike that paralyzed France for weeks. Juppé had no choice but to drop the plan. Less than two years later, the fatally weakened center-right government was defeated in a snap election. Juppé was out.

Today, French unions are again flexing their muscles, forcing Socialist President François Hollande to water down his proposals for labor reform. Presidential elections are set for April 2017, with a runoff in May, and Hollande’s reelection chances look bleak. The candidate who appears in the best position to replace him? Juppé, now 70, who for most of the past two decades has been mayor of Bordeaux. This time, he says, he’ll take on the unions and win.