France: Mélenchon to run for president
Jean-Luc Mélenchon has announced his candidacy in the 2027 presidential election. The co-founder of the far-left party La France Insoumise is now entering the race for the fourth time, after bids in 2012, 2017 and 2022. The press analyses his chances and his potential for challenging the far-right Rassemblement National.
No sign of a candidate who can unite the democrats
El País doesn't see Mélenchon's candidacy as good news for Europe:
“In Europe's political arena, a victory for [Marine] Le Pen or [Jordan] Bardella would tip the balance in the far right's favour. France is the only country with nuclear weapons and, alongside Germany, has always been the driving force behind European integration. ... Due to the fragmentation of the left, the centre and the traditional right, a run-off would see Le Pen or Bardella face off against Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the Eurosceptic left. Polls indicate that the far right would then win. There is still no sign of a figure capable of uniting all the democrats.”
The left is ruining its own chances
Politis laments that France's left-wing parties have been unable to agree on a single presidential candidate:
“Everyone wants to preserve their own space, their own apparatus, their own legitimacy. The result is an organised divide that only paves the way for the far right. The moment of truth has arrived. Either the left must summon the will to fundamentally reinvent itself in terms of its practices, leadership and decision-making processes, or it will condemn itself to watching helplessly as the far right takes power in 2027.”
Elections to be decided on the margins
Mélenchon's starting position is at least better than it was in 2022, says Michaela Wiegel, Paris correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:
“The centre-right camp is divided and has been unable to agree on a candidate (so far). The Socialists, Communists and Greens are far from fielding a joint candidate. ... The results of the local elections in March showed that a significant proportion of left-wing voters have been won over by his radical ideas on redistribution and criticism of capitalism. His pro-Palestinian stance, which he links to a barely concealed hatred of Israel, drew people back to the polls in constituencies with a high proportion of immigrants. Mélenchon's radical critique of the system heralds an election campaign that will be decided on the margins.”
A citizens' revolution without citizens
Mélenchon’s promise of a "new France" is in no way reflected in his nomination, criticises L'Obs:
“La France insoumise sees itself as a democratic laboratory for a vigilant populace. ... Yet at the most crucial moment, the party functions like a top-down apparatus in which the candidate prevails without any real debate. ... A 'citizens' revolution' without citizens. In essence, Mélenchon is perhaps less the candidate of a new France and more the last great figure of the old France. A speaker trained in the schools of the parties, a strategist shaped by classical republican culture, a specialist in old-school politics – authoritarian language, strong personalisation, and the central role of the leader.”