Former Green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a historic figure on the French left, on Monday threw his support behind Raphaël Glucksmann for France’s April-May 2027 presidential election, in an interview with Le Point magazine.
Issued on: 10/08/2026 - 15:00Modified: 10/08/2026 - 15:12
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“In the reformist left camp, he is the only one to have adopted a position that opens up a future for a social-ecological left. He should be supported, not thwarted,” said Cohn-Bendit, a former leader of the May 1968 student movement. According to Cohn-Bendit, Glucksmann, a European Parliament member from the left-wing Place Publique party, is “the only candidate formulating a policy for transforming reformist politics on the left”. Glucksmann has not yet officially declared his candidacy for the presidential election. He is expected to confirm his bid by the end of the summer and his intention whether or not he wants to take part in the primaries for the social-democrat camp. Charisma Cohn-Bendit said the focus should be on Glucksmann’s political ideas rather than on his charisma as a leader. “The aim is to build a project that spans from 2027 through to 2032,” he said, rejecting possible bids by former president François Hollande, former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal and former prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, calling them “has-beens”. France confirms dates for 2027 presidential election Cohn-Bendit, was also highly critical of France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, saying he was “no longer on the left” because he had “abandoned universalist values”.
