French left-wing’s Melenchon says he will run for president in 2027

Melenchon says he will seek presidency for fourth time with President Macron term-limited and right’s Le Pen facing ban.Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leading politician in France’s left-wing Unbowed party, says he will run in next year’s presidential election, setting up a potential showdown with centrist and right-wing rivals.“Yes, I am a candidate,” the 74-year-old told TF1 TV on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Europe named ‘fastest-warming continent’ in latest climate change reportlist 2 of 3Who are the two Gaza flotilla activists abducted by Israel?list 3 of 3Two women die in attempted Channel crossing from France to UKend of listIt is Melenchon’s fourth presidential bid; he also ran in 2012, 2017 and 2022, when he came third behind far-right leader Marine Le Pen and French President Emmanuel Macron, who made it to the second round of voting.Melenchon has been growing his share of the vote with each campaign.In 2012, he had only 11 percent support, but in the last election, he came close to clinching a run-off spot. He won 22 percent of the vote and was only 1.2 percentage points behind Le Pen.France’s Unbowed party, known by its French acronym LFI, has been a prominent and vocal critic of Israel and its genocidal war on Gaza.Melenchon described the assault as genocide, and has called for the suspension of the European Union’s association agreement with Israel.The left-wing leader has backed Spain’s position against the US-Israel war on Iran.LFI has championed strong environmental regulations and higher taxes on the rich.With Macron unable to run because of term limits, and Le Pen facing a ban from politics – which she is challenging in court – the 2027 race is wide open.The election will be held in April, and if no candidate secures a majority in the first round, the run-off will be two weeks later.Macron – a centrist who formed his Renaissance political party in 2016 – has seen his public support collapse in recent years during economic and government crises.