Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of the far-left France Insoumise (LFI) party, announced on Sunday, May 3, his candidacy for the 2027 presidential elections in France. It is the fourth time that the leftist leader has sought to win the presidential seat, after his attempts in 2012, 2017 and 2022.
First modification: 05/03/2026 - 21:36 Last modification: 05/03/2026 - 22:20
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left France Insoumise (LFI) party, will run in the 2027 presidential elections in France, as announced on Sunday, May 3, during the news program on the 'TF1' channel.
“Yes, I am running as a candidate,” Jean-Luc Mélenchon told the television channel on Sunday night, French time.
74-year-old Jean-Luc Mélenchon became a leading figure on the French left, holding ministerial positions in previous governments, when he was a member of the Socialist Party.
She ran for president in 2012, 2017 and 2022, coming in third place that last year, behind far-right leader Marine Le Pen and the current French president, Emmanuel Macron.
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It will be the third time that he appears under the banner of the Francia Insumisa party, which he founded in 2016.
What possibilities does it show?
Seen as one of the political figures who generate the most controversy in French public opinion, Mélenchon explained that his candidacy is due to "context and urgency" at the internal and external level.
"Privileges and racism are what hurt our country the most," said the politician, who assured that, if he gains the French Presidency, he will ally with Spain and "other Latin American countries" to confront the United States of Donald Trump and Israel.
Although the only major confirmed candidacy until now was that of former conservative Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, several polls already placed Mélenchon as one of the progressive leaders potentially with the most support in the first round in April 2027.
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However, those same polls show him as a sure loser in a hypothetical second round against the extreme right, either against Marine Le Pen - pending a judicial decision to be able to run - or his rival, Jordan Bardella.
The most recent survey, published on Sunday, gives an idea of the polarization generated by the leftist, since 84% of voters do not want him as a candidate.
The National Rally party (RN) of Le Pen and Bardella "is my main adversary," said the veteran politician in the same interview, who, however, cast doubt on the victory of the national-populist force: "I don't even know if they will reach the second round."
Who is Melenchon?
Mélenchon is a figure of little consensus in France's fragmented political landscape. The right and the center accuse him of being anti-Semitic for his statements on the Arab-Elizabeth conflict, as does part of the moderate left.
Despite having forged two successful electoral pacts with the Socialist Party (PS) -in the legislative elections of 2022 and 2024-, the leader of LFI is at odds with his former formation, which has created a schism between the two main progressive currents in the country.
His project for the founding of the VI French Republic, with more power for Parliament and popular consultations, and that of the 'New France', which advocates miscegenation, has seduced the peripheries of the large French cities, with a good part of populations originating from the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa.
With EFE and Reuters
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