The radical left leader will seek presidency for the fourth time – despite previously vowing to stand aside
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, France’s radical left leader, has confirmed he will run again for president next spring, saying it was urgent for the country to stand up against war being waged by the US and Israel in the Middle East.
The 74-year-old veteran leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), announced in an interview with the French broadcaster TF1 that he would run for the presidency for the fourth time in 2027.
“We are threatened by a widespread war, we are threatened by a spectacular change in the climate, and now we have an economic and social crisis approaching,” he said. He called for a common front with Spain against war in the Middle East.
A one-time Trotskyist and former teacher, Mélenchon spent 30 years in the traditional left party of government, the Socialists, where he served as a minister and was once the youngest ever Socialist senator. He quit in 2008, arguing the party wasn’t properly leftwing.
