Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the prominent leader of the hard-left "France Proud" party, announced on Sunday his intention to run in the presidential elections scheduled for next year, in a fourth attempt to enter the presidential battle after 2012, 2017 and 2022.
Published on: 05/03/2026 - 22:54 Last updated: 05/04/2026 - 14:33
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Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the prominent leader of the hard-left "France Proud" party, announced on Sunday his intention to run in the presidential elections scheduled to be held next year. "Yes, I am a candidate," Mélenchon told TF1 television.
Mélenchon (74 years old) has been one of the pillars of the French left for decades, as he held ministerial positions in previous governments when he was a member of the Socialist Party. He ran for president in 2012 and 2017 and came third in the 2022 elections after far-right leader Marine Le Pen and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The elected representatives of the "France Proud" party had approved earlier Sunday the nomination of 74-year-old Mélenchon for the presidency.
Mélenchon said in a television interview, "For us, things are clear and settled. There is a team, a program, and one candidate." He considered that he was “the best prepared” in “proud France,” noting that his announcement of his candidacy a year before the due date was due to the “urgent nature” of the stage.
He added: "Without exaggeration, but as a matter of clarity, we are entering a very turbulent phase in world history. We are threatened by all-out war, and we are threatened by radical climate change. There is also an economic and social crisis looming on the horizon."
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It is noteworthy that in the 2022 presidential elections, Mélenchon did not reach the second round and was 420,000 votes behind the far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who came second behind (outgoing) President Emmanuel Macron.
In the first round of that election, Mélenchon won about 22 percent of the votes, compared to more than 23 percent for Le Pen and more than 27 percent for Macron.
Mélenchon pointed out that the failure of an outgoing president to run for office makes the "National Rally", the far-right party, his "main opponent," questioning the accuracy of what opinion polls indicate regarding the expectation that the far-right will qualify for the second round.
"I think we will defeat them in a crushing manner," Mélenchon said.
France 24/AFP
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