Jean-Luc Mélenchon at a Labor Day demonstration in Paris on Friday, May 1, 2026. CHANG MARTIN/SIPA
The secret was well kept throughout the weekend, even if the news surprised no one. Jean-Luc Mélenchon announced on Sunday, May 3, that he would run in the 2027 presidential election. After previous attempts in 2012, 2017 and 2022, the leader of the radical-left La France Insoumise (LFI) will try for a fourth time to win the presidency, under the banner of the movement he founded 10 years ago. "I am a candidate. It is the current context and the sense of urgency that have determined the decision of La France Insoumise," the 74-year-old told TF1's evening news.
"The discussion was not about who is the best candidate from the perspective of I don't know what, or about some kind of aesthetic – it was about who is best prepared to face the situation ahead," he added, arguing for experience in the face of new challenges: "We are entering a very turbulent time in world history. We are threatened by general war, we are threatened by dramatic climate change, and then we have an economic and social crisis heading towards us."
This acceleration of LFI's campaign had, until now, been nothing more than a rumor fueled by the recent moves made by Mélenchon. It will not help those still hoping for left-wing unity and the organization of a primary – namely, the Greens, the former LFI members gathered in L'Après, and Debout!, MP François Ruffin's party. The announcement of the LFI leader's candidacy further presages the prospect of a divided left in the first round of the presidential election.
You have 79.11% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.