LFI's Mélenchon to stand in 2027 French presidential election

Advertising LFI's Mélenchon to stand in 2027 French presidential election France

Jean-Luc Mélenchon announced on Sunday on TF1 that he would be running in the 2027 French presidential election, marking the fourth bid for the leader of the hard-left party La France Insoumise (LFI).

Issued on: 03/05/2026 - 20:59Modified: 03/05/2026 - 21:54

1 min Reading time Share By: FRANCE 24

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

"Yes, I am a candidate," ​Mélenchon told French television network ‌TF1.

Mélenchon, 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.

Read moreMacron on the world stage: French president 'very popular everywhere in Europe, except for France'

"We have less than ‌a year to go until the second round of the election. With us, it is all sorted out – there is ‌a team, a manifesto, and a single candidate," added Mélenchon.

Under the French constitution, ​Macron cannot seek a third mandate as president. Edouard Philippe, Macron’s first prime minister in 2017, is also set to stand ​in 2027, representing a centre-right camp.

The far-right National Rally (RN) ​party, led by Le Pen and her ​protégé Jordan Bardella, is polling strongly at present although the RN failed to ​win control of any major city during French municipal elections in March.

'A big confusion': All sides claim victory after French municipal elections

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.

Accept Manage my choices

One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.

Try again

05:41

Le Pen, who ran in the last three elections, is barred from standing because of a conviction for misuse ⁠of EU funds, which she is trying to overturn on appeal; should ⁠she fail, ​Bardella is widely expected to stand in her stead.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)

Advertising Keywords for this article

• France
• French politics
• French Presidential Elections 2027
• Jean-Luc Mélenchon
• France Unbowed