Part 3: The French left is still a force to be reckoned with, meet the MEPs shaping the presidential race
The battle for the Élysée is still nine months away but elements of the campaign are already being plotted on the trains between Strasbourg and Brussels.
As French presidential hopefuls assemble their teams for what could be the most consequential vote in generations, some members of the European Parliament are emerging as key strategists, campaign architects and political combatants in their own right.
The French left enters the presidential race facing a familiar dilemma: unity versus survival.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon remains the candidate best placed to reach the second round, having narrowly missed out in 2022.
