World

French hard-left politician Melenchon to stand in 2027 presidential election

By Reuters Reuters
Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of French far-left opposition party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed - LFI), delivers a speech during a campaign rally to support the list "Etre Bondy" for the upcoming mayoral election in Bondy near Paris, France, March 4, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of French far-left opposition party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed - LFI), delivers a speech during a campaign rally to support the list "Etre Bondy" for the upcoming mayoral election in Bondy near Paris, France, March 4, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor Abdul Saboor Reuters

PARIS - Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leading figure in the hard-left France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) political party, will stand in next year's presidential election, he said on Sunday.

"Yes, I am a candidate," Melenchon told TF1 TV.

Melenchon, 74, has been a fixture of the French left for decades, holding ministerial posts in past governments when he was a Socialist Party member. He ran for president in 2012, 2017 and 2022, coming third that year behind far-right leader Marine Le Pen and French President Emmanuel Macron.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Nicolas Delame)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 1:42 PM.

Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER